Turnabout
by dinger
Summary: Story complete...Now with a new epilogue to tie up some loose ends.
1. Chapter 1

For crying out loud! Not again. He looked around trying to pinpoint where the shot came from this time.

The wicked marksman had once again struck his target. The blossoming smile on his partner's face would be funny if it weren't so scary. His friend was in his own world again. He was fast losing hope that his partner would escape the same nightmare he faced so many years ago. Ok, three years. But it seemed like longer. It had taken him so long just to get the crap out of his system, and here was Starsky, being subjugated to the same thing right before his eyes. He suspected his partner had been hoping to be hit with this last shot. He rubbed his hand over his face and chanced a look over the rock.

Nothing.

How did he get himself into this nightmare? He was supposed to be on a romantic date with Abby and Starsk had his own date with…what was her name? She was cute, that's for sure, but he was so tired he could not remember her name.

Starsky's breathing started evening out, and his eyes stared at something only he could see. Hutch had maybe 15 or 20 minutes before Starsk started up again. Trying to control him as he came down was getting harder and harder to do. Hutch was getting scared. Watching and fighting his friend was becoming an impossible task as the drugs being fed to Starsky right before his eyes gained the upper hand in Starsky's system.

And it started out to be such a simple assignment. Dobey had told them that they had to escort a witness to a safe house. Sure. They had done that before. No problem. Simple assignment. Into hell. Now if he could just pull himself and Starsky through the next 48 hours it would be a miracle...

"HEY Starsk!"

"What?"

Hutch motioned to his partner. "Come here, you are gonna love this one." Starsky stood up and stretched. He rubbed his eyes and pushed away from the stack of paperwork he had finally finished.

"Come here." Hutch motioned again.

"This better not involve anything about this weekend," Starsk said as he approached. His partner had recently come out of Dobey's office where he had gone to tell him that they were done and were heading off for their first free weekend in a month. Hutch had a look of anger and frustration in his eyes. "I have plans with a certain young lady, and I ain't changing 'em."

"Yeah, Abby and I had big plans too."

_Shit_. "Had?"

"Cap'n wants us for an escort detail." Hutch's eyes burned angry acceptance. He had just received all the details on the case and was going to fill Starsky in now that he had gotten over his anger.

"Again! Hutch, that's the third one this month!" A recent drug bust had seen a huge shake down of a local organization, and the Fed's had witnesses crawling out of the woodwork. The partners had both been extremely pleased with the takedown, but they were playing babysitter way too much these days. It was time to move on to the next investigation, and let the courts take it from here.

"Starsk, he wants us to move this one today."

"Crissy will kill me!" Starsk replied. "I promised her this weekend was guaranteed. Dobey will just have to understand…" With that, Starsky whirled and opened their Captain's door.

"Starsk!" Hutch warned. He grinned to himself and followed. He had already had it out with Dobey, and knew it was useless. _"If nothing else, this will be interesting"_

"Cap'n! I need to talk with you!" Starsky started.

"You will take the assignment!" Dobey bellowed, not looking up from the paperwork he was reviewing. "I don't care who you want to shack up with or what your plans are, this is a high level witness, and they asked for you!"

"Why us, cap! Why this weekend!" Starsky returned. Jez, they had finally gotten a three-day weekend and now this.

"Because. This needs to happen now, and you are the only officers I have available at the moment!"

"What about Ryans? He's free."

"Starsk, he broke his leg and is in traction over at County General." Hutch added helpfully from where he stood just outside the door.

"Oh. Abrams then."

"NO! NOW GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF MY OFFICE!"

Starsky paused at the door.

"Butler?"

"GO!"

Hutch hustled out of his partner's way as he slammed the door and marched out of the office. He suppressed the urge to laugh. Hutch knew what his partner was going through. He had just had the time to digest it a bit. He walked around the desk and put his hand on the phone. Starsky went over to the coffee machine and looked for a non-existent mug.

Hutch leaned over the desk with the telephone's receiver in his hand. "That went well." Starsky smiled.

"Yeah, well…" He grabbed the phone and put it back on the receiver. "This job is getting in the way of my love life."

Hutch leaned over and said "Abby just told me she is giving up and moving back east."

"Again! Guess one day she might actually do it, and where will that leave you? Singing to your house plants."

"So who's this Crissy? Is she the girl you met at the taco stand?"

"You mean who _was_ this Crissy," Starsky said with a pout. "Just the _most_ beautiful, intoxicating woman I know who loves burritos as much as I do."

"A match made in heaven." She was pretty good-looking as Hutch recalled.

Sighing dramatically, Starsky pulled the phone over and started dialing.

"It'll be hell soon. Hello, Crissy. Yeah, me too." Starsky looked up at Hutch and made shooing motions, "_You mind?_" He mouthed.

"Oh no, go right ahead." He didn't move.

Starsky stared at him for a moment, made a face and hauled the phone as far away as he could get it.

Hutch watched, amused as his partner started making excuses to his girlfriend. With this job you had to find humor wherever you can get it. Too bad the women in their life did not understand that. Abby was simply resigned. She seemed to know that their weekend in the country was going to be interrupted. Women's intuition – and experience. Across the room, Starsky was beginning to get flustered. Obviously Crissy was taking the broken date in stride.

"I know I promised you! Come on! I was promised! Hey, come on…that's not fair. I'll be back before you know it and we can pick up where we left off. Hello? Hello? Damn it!"

Hutch snickered.

"Let's get this over with, partner." Starsky snarled as he yanked his jacket of the chair.

"Sounds like you already did."

"Yeah, well, I might stand a chance if we get back early."

"Give her your Bogey. Scares them off every time."

"Yeah, then maybe I should try it out on the Cap. Let's go."

THE phone rang in the darkness. _"They're on their way."_ A high-pitched silky voice declared. "Good. When you and your sister get them to the old preserve, I'll take it from there." Robert had been planning this for years. _"Just remember love, if this doesn't go the way you plan, I had nothing to do with it."_ Robert frowned, but did not let it pass into his voice. "Understood, but you make sure your sister gets them there. Then, in a couple of days, you can see my finest work." Robert knew Julie enjoyed his sadistic games. She had helped him for years. She just did not know how important this one was to him. Finally, he would be able to redeem himself in Monk's eyes. He could not forgive himself for letting his boss down on the day they were to ice that cop. For that, he had paid, and dearly. Maybe, just maybe, this weekend Monk's voice would go away.

"WHY do we have to ride in this hunk of junk? We could have gotten a better one from the police pool."

The mood clearly had not lifted.

"Starsk, how could you say that? I'll have you know, my car is not a hunk of junk! It is a unique creature that fits my needs perfectly."

"The creature from the black lagoon that is. When was the last time you had it tuned up?"

They had gone through this a million times.

"Is this it?" Hutch pulled the car over in front of a house. The car shuddered and smoke started wafting in through the open windows.

"No." Cough, "3402 Hutch." Starsky shot Hutch a dirty look and started to roll up the window as an acrid smell began building. "Not 3204 Hillside Lane. Your creature is burning oil again." Hutch had to stifle a laugh when the handle came off in his partner's hand. He looked over his shoulder and pulled out into the road again.

"When are you going to get yourself a real car, Hutch? You don't even have to get something as nice as mine, just something that isn't screaming for a tow truck and a junk yard."

"Junk! I'll have you know..." Starsky cut Hutch off before he could get started. "Cut the excuses, here it is." Hutch pulled over and looked at his partner. With a look of disgust, Starsky threw his weight against the door that reluctantly gave way to his effort. Hutch snorted. Starsky gave him a warning look, and then he was out of the car and headed up to the door. Anything to get away from the black cloud billowing from that disaster of a car his partner and friend insisted on keeping. Smoke wafted slowly away from Hutch's car as whatever new oil leak burned off of the hot engine. He paused and looked around the neighborhood. So far, nothing seemed out of order. Mentally he reviewed the information he was given in order to identify the witness they were transporting.

He strolled up to the door and knocked lightly three times in rapid succession.

"Yes?"

"Police ma'am. Do you know Jane Smith?" Starsky asked as he flashed his badge.

"Yes, but I thought she was Jane Doe."

Starsky smiled and said "We are here to escort you to the safe house, ma'am." He studied his new assignment with a detective's eye. She was thin and willowy. Her skin was a little too pale, but he suspected it was assisted by make-up. What he could see of her looked healthy enough. She did not have the appearance of those who participated in the drug trade she was to testify against in a couple of weeks. Her face was filled out with puffy cheeks and large lips glossed a deep red commanded attention. "Jane" wore large black sunglasses to match her black leather cap pulled over long black hair. He suspected a wig. She wore a dark blue turtleneck and black jeans. She looked like a cat burglar. Or a drug runner. Didn't matter. His job was to get her from point A to point B where she would stay safe until she reached point C – the witness stand. After delivering her, he could get back to his point C – Crissy.

"Do you need any help ma'am?" he asked, feeling chivalrous and professional, while motioning to the dark room behind her.

"Jane. No, I'm ready." Jane said while picking up what looked to be an over-stuffed sea bag and flung it over her shoulder. He made a move to take the bag, but Jane threw him a frosty "don't touch" look as she stalked past him. Starsky followed behind watching Jane stride purposefully to the car. He thought he caught a look of disgust cross her face as he opened the car door. He didn't blame her.

Hutch started up the car as they approached and the engine belched out yet another cloud of noxious fumes. Hutch reached out to grab her bag, but Jane tossed it in herself and slid into the backseat of the Ford. Her face remained neutral and stony as she settled herself into the seat.

Starsky climbed in and wrenched the car door shut.

"I'm Detective David Starsky. This is my partner, Ken Hutchinson." Jane barely graced him with a nod. Starsky turned around and rolled his eyes. "We are to take you to a safe house in the mountains…"

"I know. I requested it." Jane interrupted. She did not add anything to her terse comment.

"You look upset. Is there anything that has you concerned that we should know about?" Starsky took his job seriously, and if there was anything she was scared of, he wanted to know.

"No" was all she said and she looked out the window. Conversation over. She did not look scared. She looked like the ice queen back there. Starsky sighed.

Hutch gave his partner a knowing look as he eased into traffic. It was going to be a long and quiet trip.

THEY delivered Jane to the safe house without incident. Motioning Jane to stay put, Hutch went into the cabin first to check it out. She gave a loud sigh and stared straight ahead, but she did not move. Starsky, gun pulled, walked around the perimeter of the cabin. There was nobody to meet them in the one room cabin. It seemed unusual for the Fed's to leave her alone there. He stated as much when he went out onto the porch. Jane gave Hutch a cold look.

"Nobody knows of this place, that is why your department approved it. It belonged to a great aunt who passed away last year. It has a phone, in her name, and adequate protection, if I need it. I can take care of myself. You may go now."

Hutch matched her cold look. "Fine. Do you know who will be bringing you to the trial?"

"Yes," was her stiff reply. She walked up to the door, walked into the cabin and closed the door behind her.

Hutch stared after her. With a disgusted shake of his head he turned back to his car. He was glad Dobey said all they had to do was get her to the safe house, because despite his cool cop demeanor, if he had been forced to stay here over the weekend, he could have easily strangled her himself. He glanced back as Starsky was walking up from checking out the surroundings. "Nothing."

"Good. Assignment's complete. Lets get back to the station and clock out."

"What about Helga there?"

"She says she can take care of herself, and I believe her." Hutch looked back at the quiet cabin and back at his partner. "Lets go."

They walked back to the car and Hutch got in. Turning his key in the ignition, he turned to the passenger door where Starsky was fighting with the door. "Get in!"

"I'm trying!" He flung back as he put his back into forcing the door open. A billow of smoke blew up in his face as he finally got the reluctant door open enough to slide in. "From now on, I am DRIVING!" Starsky shouted at his partner. The car's smoke clung to him and drifted around his collar and hair.

Hutch shot Starsky a hard look. "You can't. The tomato needed a tune up." Hutch reminded his clearly disgusted partner and smiled to himself as he eased his car back onto the narrow mountain trail they had followed to get up to the cabin. Jane was forgotten as they argued down the mountain on their way back to Bay City.

THE phone rang once. "Yeah"

"_They are on their way down."_

Robert hung up and smiled. The girl flinched. _Let the games begin_.


	2. Chapter 2

The usual disclaimer applies. This work is for entertainment only, and I do not own the characters.

**CHAPTER 2**

"What was that!" Hutch bellowed as he stood on the brakes. The boat of metal squealed and protested the sudden stop. Starsky threw his hands out in front of him hoping to God he did not go through the windshield. He saw her too. A woman had run across the road right in front of the car and was now scrambling up the side of an embankment. Her clothes were torn and stained. She looked so young. The car skidded to the other side of the road and came to a stop another 150 yards down the road.

Starsky was out of the car in a flash, running towards the woman. This obviously was the wrong thing to do as she looked at him in panic and started climbing even harder. Faintly he could hear her crying and a soft "no" every now and then. He stopped running and tried to put on his best "it's ok to trust me" face. He had seen this before with rape victims.

She stumbled over a log or something up ahead. Starsky could see she was weeping. "Please, don't follow me! Don't hurt me anymore!" She screamed, crying uncontrollably.

"It's ok. We are police officers. We can help." Starsky held back, concerned that if he approached too quickly he could in some way hurt her further. She was close to hysteria. Clearly she was afraid of him and Hutch. "We are not going to hurt you…" He gave his best smile, cocked his head a little bit and held out his hand.

"Noooo!" She screamed. She clutched at her torn clothing and scrambled to her feet. She began to back away.

Starsky heard his partner off to his right. He did not want to break eye contact with the young woman. If he could just keep her talking, she might calm down. He sure as heck wasn't going to touch her.

"Starsk, I'm going to go call this in. We're going to need backup."

"Sure. I'm OK. I just hope you can get a response. The mountains are probably going to block the signal." His eyes never left the victim.

"I'll try and then come right back."

"Yeah, go." Turning his attention back to the girl he said, "Hey, it's going to be alright. You're among friends. We can help you. Hey, my name's David. What's yours?" Starsky kept his voice soft and his tone even. His face reflected the concern and honesty in his voice. He took a slow step forward, noting how she flinched and continued sobbing. Suddenly she was off again. He had to climb up the embankment to get to some level ground. He lost sight of her, but could hear her sobs and her footsteps.

He thought what might have happened to her. Rape most probably. These mountains were isolated, and probably more than one victim's cries for help went unheeded up here with no one around to hear them. Well, this one was lucky she had stumbled across their path. There was no way in hell he would let the perpetrator get a hold of her again. She sure could run though. He was in good form, but he still could not see her. She was leading him farther into the woods. Starsky hoped Hutch could find them. Nature Boy would be teased unmercifully by his partner if he couldn't track these footprints.

Starsky stopped and looked around. Where was she? A cliff rose sharply to his right. To his left, there was a meadow thick with tall grasses and a few strapling trees. He was on what looked to be an old path.

"Well, I guess I know which way she went…" he thought to himself. He pushed on. He could hear water running up ahead. A small stream of water flowed down off of the cliff and fell just past the rise up ahead. Good, there might be a creek that flowed down the other side. It was a place that she might have stopped to drink and bath her wounds. Maybe that is why he did not hear her. He slowed his step so as not to startle her. He slowly approached the ridge and peeked over. Nothing. Wait. There she was. The meadow gave way to a new set of cliffs. One cliff dropped down to the path and one fell away from the path. The path now was only a ledge really, with about 15 to 20 feet between cliffs. She was standing near the drop about 500 yards ahead of him.

_God. Don't let her jump._

"Hi there. I promise you, I am not going to hurt you. I just want to help. You can trust me." She looked at him with such pain and pity in her eyes. This was the first chance he had to look at her. Her red hair fell to her shoulders, limp and lifeless. It was tangled with bits of leaves and twigs. She looked to be in good shape, although her clothes were in tatters. Rusty stains and sweat marred the simple tee shirt and skirt she wore. She wore hiking boots and looked like she had been attacked while on a hiking trip. Her lip was swollen and her cheek bruised. What had happened to her and the rest of her group? Did she come with a group or on her own? There was no way to tell until she started talking, and she did not look ready to talk.

"My partner and I were just heading home. That's my friend's car you ran in front of. I don't know if you can really call it a car though. It looks like a hunk of junk. Belongs in a junkyard. You think so to don't you. I don't blame you for feeling afraid. I get afraid every time I come close to it too. But it's ok. Even though he drives that disaster of a car, Hutch, that's my partner, he's a good guy. We are not going to hurt you. We just want to help."

She turned her sad eyes away from him and looked out over the cliff. She took a shuddering breath, but she did not move away. Good. Progress. He took a slow, tentative step followed by another.

"Hutch should be coming along any minute now. That was quite a long run. You must be tired. I'm just going to come a little bit closer, don't be afraid."

That got her attention. She began backing away from him and turned to run.

"Wait!" _Crap. Here we go again_.

He set a slow steady pace behind her. He wasn't going to let her out of his sight again, but he did not want to scare her into doing something drastic. He followed the path and it led around the side of the mountain into a little valley of maybe a couple of miles.

"Wow!" Starsky took in a deep breath. The walls went straight up on every side of the valley. It was an isolated paradise, with waterfalls and boulders and some huge old trees. It was gorgeous!

He could hear Hutch coming down the path. "I couldn't get a signal so I left a note in the car and followed." He yelled. He had just crossed the narrowest part of the path and was coming towards that valley when a deep rumbling sounded just behind him. _Holy shit, the mountain was caving in_!

"Run Hutch!" Starsky cried.

"Run yourself!" Hutch replied as he sprinted off the ledge and into the valley. They both ran for safety while rocks slid down the cliff taking the path with them. Chips and flakes of stone showered down around them, but the heavy portion of the slide seemed to have struck some ways behind them.

"You OK?" Starsk asked, panting and rubbing his eyes. The dust was horrible.

"Yeah, you?" Hutch grabbed Starsky's shoulder and pointed the way down into the valley. The air was clearer there.

"Dandy. What in the world was that?"

"A rock slide"

"Gee, thanks."

"Anytime."

"I thought I heard an explosion before it started." Starsky stated. He turned to look at the devastation the rockslide had left behind.

"Sometimes rotten rock will crack like that before it falls, but I heard it too."

"You are lucky it didn't bury you."

"Yep, you can just call me Mr. Lucky."

"Ain't neither of us getting lucky this weekend pal. That landslide took the path!" All hopes of salvaging his weekend with Crissy died when he looked at the sheer face of cliff. "It will take forever to get out of here now." He sat down on a log that had once been a very tall tree, but now was a rotting shell.

Hutch got a far away look. "Well, maybe Abby will wait for me…hey, where's that girl?"

Starsky looked around. "She's gone."

"Thank you, Sherlock." Hutch quipped at his partner.

"Anytime Watson." Starsky replied. "Well, she's why we are here in the first place. Let's go find her."

Starsky stood up and then jumped, grabbing at his back.

"I just got bit by a bee! Where are they! Do you see where they are?" He looked around and then turned to look at the log. "I don't see 'em."

Hutch looked at the spot Starsk had grabbed at, and went pale.

"Starsk, stand still a minute." He walked over towards his friend and looked at his back. High on his left buttock a small dart protruded through his jeans.

"What? Is the bee still there! Get it off of me!" He started jumping up and down.

"OK, just hold still there buddy." Hutch reached down and pulled the tiny dart out.

"Ow! That little bugger has quite a bite." Starsky said while rubbing his posterior. "Let's see him."

"It, Starsk, not him." He held up the dart. Starsky stared at it for a second, his face losing all of its animation, and then his eyes met Hutch's. His face went hard.

Hutch pulled his gun and quickly looked around. Seeing nothing, he grabbed a handful of leather and jerked on the arm of his friend's jacket. "Let's get out of the open." Hutch said while guiding his friend deeper into the woods in the valley. Starsky followed without question. There would be time for questions when they reached cover. They were in danger and so far Hutch had not been hit. They had to move quickly.

They had not gotten far when he felt the first flush. His skin tingled. His senses seemed heightened.

Hutch took them on a straight course, opting for speed over cautiousness. He doubted he had much time to find cover before Starsky succumbed to whatever he had been injected with. With his partner depending on him, Hutch didn't want to get hit himself. There wasn't much nearby. He headed towards the trees and was reassured by Starsky's steady gait behind him.

"Here." Hutch took off towards a rock formation. With a large clump of trees on one side, and the rocks on the other, it afforded them some protection on three sides.

Starsky wasn't ready for the quick change in course and he stumbled. His senses were getting screwy. He stopped for a moment, and the world continued to move on him. He felt drunk, but he was beginning not to care. He felt his partner pulling him up. Hutch guided him the rest of the way.

"Do you still have it Hutch?" Starsky asked. He was afraid, but he wasn't. He was beginning to feel so good. He held his hand out.

Hutch looked at his friend. Starsky's arm swayed as he held it out. He knelt down and held out the dart. It was a **tranquilizer****dart cartridge. Empty. That meant his buddy had taken the full dose of whatever it had contained. It worked fast. He could see the changes in his partner. The running probably helped speed up the effects of whatever the drug was. Hutch was alarmed, but his adrenaline was high and he was firmly in cop mode.**

**"Well, I guess I'll be sleeping soon." Starsky said, slightly slurring his words. "I feel good though, no pain, good…"**

**"They didn't get me. Don't worry, I'll look out for you." Hutch steadied his friend while he scanned the cliffs. The sun had passed its zenith, and was on the way down. Darkness would be their friend, however he didn't know the lay of the land, and whoever fired the shot probably did. He needed to find a better place to hole up in and let Starsky ride out whatever he had been shot up with. He studied his friend. Starsky's eyes were glassy, but he was still awake.**

**"Hey buddy, you still with me?"**

**"Why?**

**"Just checking."**

"Hey Hutch? I'm hungry. Thirsty too. Send out for beer and pizza."

Hutch snorted. "Sure thing. Give me a minute." He went back to scanning the cliffs. Nothing.

"I'm going for a walk Hutch." Starsky stated, and promptly got up and walked out.

"No, you aren't." Hutch grabbed his friend by the collar and jerked him back towards safety. "You are going to stay right here for now. Understand?"

"Sure." Starsky smiled and sat down. Ten seconds later he was up again. "I'm going for a walk Hutch. It's so pretty here…umph."

Hutch tackled his partner this time. "What are you doing? Trying to get us killed!"

Starsky looked like he could care less. His eyes were dilated and his breathing slow and shallow. He looked like he was in his own little world…_oh shit_! Hutch looked closer at his friend and was beginning to flash back to a time he would have much rather forgotten.

He hoped to God he was not dealing with what he thought it might be.

But he knew he was.


	3. Chapter 3

By popular demand I am posting the next chapter. Hopefully we will get some more up soon. All disclaimers still apply…

PS: I don't know why the program is bolding some parts of the text in chapter 2. It was not by my design.

**Chapter 3**

"Starsk?"

"Mummh?"

"How ya doing?"

"Mummh…"

"Thought so." Hutch looked around again. Nothing. The valley they were in was rich in trees and he did not need to worry about a source for water. If the circumstances were different, it probably would have been the perfect place for him and Abby to spend their romantic weekend. He estimated the valley to be about 50 acres total. He would have to do some reconnoitering to find a better shelter and a way out. There had to be a way for their mysterious marksman to come and go. If there were a way, Hutch would find it. Starsky was the problem though. He would need another hour or so for the drug he suspected to wear off enough for Starsky to be of some help.

"Hutch?"

"Yeah buddy, I'm here."

"I'm hungry."

Hutch smiled. "What else is new?" He looked closer at his partner. Eyes still dilated, but a bit more in focus. Breathing was a little faster than earlier. The drug was making its way through his system. "We're going to have to move soon, Gordo."

"You just moved! I don't want to have to lug your stuff up and down those stairs again! You have a nice place, keep it."

_What? Ohhhh_…"Ok Starsk, you win." Hutch replied. No sense arguing with a man who thought he was moving out of his new apartment. He glanced over at his partner. Starsky was smiling to himself. Hutch held back a chuckle at his friends imagined victory.

There had been no more action from their mysterious marksman. Activity from the rodent natives had started up again. He could see two squirrels chasing each other up and around a tree. Chipmunks were scuttling back and forth from under one of the rocks that he had hidden behind to a nearby tree. He could hear the soothing sounds of falling water off in the distance and the sun brought some warmth to this little paradise. A finch or some small bird was darting in and out of a nearby scrub. Probably had a nest in there.

He took his time in studying the cliffs. They were sheer, but broken. If he could make his way over to them, there was a good chance that there would be a cave or something that he could stow his partner in to recover. A single front was much easier to defend than where he was now. Starsky moved to stand up again.

"Hey there buddy. Where you going?"

"For a walk."

"Not yet you aren't."

"Why!"

The answer came in the slightest disturbance of the air. Starsky looked surprised by the bite on his right thigh. Another dart clung to his leg. Shooting out like a snake, Hutch quickly pulled his partner down, yanked the spent cartridge out and with one knee on his partners chest Hutch scanned his surroundings. He thought he had seen a quick flash of movement up on the cliff to his right, but it was close to a waterfall, and he could not be sure it wasn't simply the spray of the water. He continued to watch patiently for further movement, but nothing showed.

"Hey, what was that?" A slurred voice came from beneath him. Hutch did not want to risk looking at his partner yet, but he answered softly. "Dose number two." A little more loudly he added, "I think I saw some movement up there."

"Where? Let me up." Starsky pushed rather ineffectively at his partner's leg. "Are there more bees? I think I got stung."

"Stay put. You are going to be ok. Let me think this through." Hutch was worried. He knew his friend was not going to be ok. With a new dose of the drug he suspected was smack entering his partners system, things were going to get difficult. He did not know for certain it was heroin. It could be any number of things. But he suspected.

He could not give Starsky free movement if they stayed there, and who knew what his friend would be seeing in a few minutes. So far he had been pretty happy, but "trips" could turn ugly quickly. Hutch had seen too much on the streets. He knew the horrors people faced when they were strung out. He and his partner had helped clean up too many of the aftermaths of the nightmares "druggies" fought while in the grips of the drug. He hoped two doses did not equal strung out, but he knew the trip his friend was taking. He himself had been subjugated to it.

Hutch ran his hand through his hair and looked around. Starsky was playing with his fingers and seemed to have forgotten the knee on his chest. It was clear that they could not stay where they were. Hutch scanned the valley and decided the best place to go was towards the south. There were some good shadows there that might indicate a cave or at least some better cover. Not knowing where the gunman was did not help matters, but if the small glimpse he did catch was the perpetrator, he would be heading in the opposite direction. Also, he wanted someplace that did not have sunlight pouring in at sunset or sunrise. He did not want to risk having the sun in his eyes while this gunman was on the loose.

"Starsk, do you think you can follow me?"

"Hummm, sure. Where we going?"

Hutch indicated the direction he wanted to go as he backed off of his friend's chest. Hutch watched Starsky closely as he rolled over and swayed to his knees. His coordination was iffy, but they had to risk it. Staying here was guaranteeing another shot.

"You ok?"

"Sure."

"Follow me." Crouching, Hutch started out of their cover heading towards a nearby tree. Starsky tried to follow, but his feet kept getting tangled up and he was heading in the wrong direction. Looking around, Hutch noted his friend's difficulty. He came back and picked Starsky up in a fireman's carry. Once again, choosing speed over cautiousness he began to run towards the cliffs.

It took Starsky a moment to figure out that the world had suddenly turned upside down, and he was terribly uncomfortable. He started to lash out and kick his legs to try and get things right again. "Starsky, stop!" came a voice from above him. It sounded angry and breathy. He saw a shadow running along the ground as a hawk passed overhead. Starsky suddenly had visions of being carried away by a giant hawk and he knew he did not want to become food for it's giant chicks. He kicked even harder and started screaming. "Huuuttch, helppp!"

"I am you idiot. Stop!" Hutch veered towards a clump of shrubs. There was no way he could carry Starsky all the way to the cliffs with him kicking and hitting the way he was. "Stop it!"

Starsky felt himself falling, and thought he had succeeded in getting loose from the hawks talons. But then he was overcome with a terrible fear that it was feeding him to its hatchlings. His arm brushed across some branches, and he was sure he was going to be birdfeed. He started lashing out blindly as he felt the pecks on his arms. They were eating his hands! Starsky screamed again. "Huutch, help me!" He could hear laughter echoing around him. He pulled his arms free and tried to run. A heavy weight came down on his back. He threw his attacker off and started to run again. The shadows lengthened and tried to grab him. Hold him down. NEVER! He struck out again with all his might. He would never be eaten. The laughter grew in intensity and threatened to consume him as it danced and echoed around his body. He could feel the sounds like nails on a chalkboard. It made his skin crawl.

He felt himself being pulled around to face the bird and he tried to hit it. The last thing he saw was Hutch's fist.


	4. Chapter 4

GRIMLY Hutch picked up the motionless form of his partner. With stoic determination he set out toward the cliffs again. He felt sick with what he had just done. It was made worse with the sounds of laughter echoing from the cliffs. His legs burned with the stride he had set and the extra weight on his shoulder. He was out in the open now, and he fully expected to feel his legs go out from under him with the next shot. He did not let that stop him though. He found an outcropping and slipped into it long enough to get his bearings. It was easier to concentrate now that Starsky was no longer fighting, but that did not lessen his guilt or his determination to get him to safety. He allowed his feelings to drift behind his professional instincts and training. Guilt would not get him out of here alive.

He studied the terrain. There were a few possibilities. The closest was about 100 yards in front of him. 100 very wide, very open yards. No cover. If he could make it there, it would ensure no one could sneak up on them. But then again, it would ensure that he could not sneak out either. No, he needed something near water. They could survive without food, but not without water. To his left was another possibility. He would have to cross through some higher grasses and a few trees. Their canopy formed a thick tangled mass with a multitude of leaves. It would provide some cover and maybe a source of food. Things were thick and green that way, so there had to be a source of water. It was farther away, but looked better than anything else he had seen. Hefting Starsky farther up on his shoulder, Hutch relentlessly moved on towards his goal. The laughter had stopped.

His cop's mind working overtime, Hutch catalogued the laughter as he moved. It was a male voice, deep, strong. The echo's made it impossible to determine a direction. The guy must be up high if he could see Starsky struggling with him against some hallucination. It seemed the guy sounded satisfied when Hutch finally knocked Starsky out. He had not been shot yet, and this guy had plenty of time to hit him if that was what he had wanted. So he was playing with them. He wanted Starsky out of action, but not Hutch. Why? He suspected this guy knew them. How? What was he trying to accomplish?

The cliff rose in front of him. Nothing presented itself in the way of a cave, but there were several areas where boulders had fallen. If push came to shove, he would stuff Starsky into a crevice and keep him there until nightfall. By then the drugs would have worn off and they could move under the cover of darkness.

He continued along the cliff. There. That looked good. A small depression revealed itself to be a deeper opening. It looked promising. Finding some reasonable cover nearby, Hutch lowered his partner gently to the ground. He was still out cold. Hutch checked Starsky's breathing and his eyes. Starsky's eyes rolled when he opened each of them. The pupils were equally dilated. Starsky mumbled to himself for a second, but did not look like he was coming around yet. Hutch decided to chance leaving him long enough to verify that this was indeed a cave that would suit their needs.

The opening was about 3 feet across, and it opened up into a tall, narrow chamber. He could not see very far back, but he suspected it was about 5 by maybe 15. There was no ceiling that he could see. It looked like two mountains had just fallen into each other, leaving a small gap at their base. It would do. Water did flow down here. If he was careful, he could get to a small pool just behind the fallen rocks. Hopefully it was drinkable.

Hutch returned to his partner's side and pulled him up by his shoulders. He dragged him in while scanning the surrounding cliffs. Nothing.

"STARSK? Can you hear me?" Hutch's voice asked softly. It was some hours later and the light was getting dim as twilight fell.

"Yeah, but you don't have to shout." Starsky woke with the most excruciating headache. "Can you tell me what bus hit me?"

"What do you remember?"

Starsky tried to think, but it was hard and he was disoriented. "Not much. Where are we?" Starsky tried to look around but the light was not good. He felt like his skin was crawling and he was anxious. He felt like he could not get a good breath.

"Here, drink this." Hutch handed him some water he had collected in a leaf. It wasn't much, but it was a start. "I'll get you some more if you want it." Starsky downed the "glass" and promptly felt like he was going to heave. He managed to keep it down, but barely.

"Ugh. That's enough for now. You don't have some aspirin to go with that do you?"

Hutch was relieved to hear his friends voice return to normal, although his breathing was a bit rapid. Hutch was very relieved Starsky did not remember the punch. He hated to do it, but he never would have gotten him in here if Starsky had been fighting him the whole way.

Starsky repeated his question. "Where are we?"

"We are in a cave."

"A cave? I thought we were in the sewers." Starsky scratched at his leg and looked around. "I remember a girl…?"

"Yeah, she led us here, but I have not seen her since. We were set up."

"By who?" Starsky asked ungrammatically.

"I don't know. You've been flying high the past couple of hours, otherwise all has been quiet."

"Flying, huh. Yeah, it's coming back." Starsky shuddered. "Now I know how you felt."

Hutch gave his friend a grim smile. "You were there with me buddy. You knew how it was. But this creep has only shot you up twice and in your muscle at that. I don't think you will have it bad."

_Like you did_. Starsky just nodded. It was beginning to make sense. The rapid breathing, the fuzzy vision, and the way his blood seemed to hurt. He had heard about it, but he had never felt so discombobulated before. It was nothing like when he had been given that poison. He did not like it. He did not know why his jaw hurt so much, but with the way he felt, he really did not care.

"What do you want to do now?" he asked Hutch.

"I've been watching for awhile now. This guy is good. I have not seen him, but I think he is still out there. He has only shot at you though, when he had ample opportunity to hit me too. You've been drugged twice now."

"Yeah? It feels like more." Starsky's head was swimming.

"Mmh." Hutch grunted in agreement. "The sun's gone down and we will need to move soon. He knows where we are."

"I'm with you."

"I think you should stay here while I look around. So far he has not wanted me, just you. I'll find a new spot and then come back to get you. You have your gun?" Hutch knew he did, but he wanted to distract his partner from the danger he was putting himself in.

"Yeah, but…"

"Good. You can defend the opening. I will throw a stone in before I come in – so don't shot me." With that, Hutch left.

Starsky struggled to figure out what just happened. He knew he did not want his partner out there without backup, but he also knew he would not want himself as backup if the positions were reversed. The walls seemed to close in on him. The lighting was nil other than the dim light from the opening. The stars were bright up here. Beautiful really. His head began to swim and he felt good again. The cop in him recognized that he was having a flashback as the drug was not fully out of his system. At least he was not seeing things.

A body blocked out what little light there was in the "door".

Starsky was not sure if he was seeing things or if someone really was there. He stayed quiet and did not move.

"If there is anyone here, please don't hurt me!" a soft voice pleaded from the door. "I need your help. Please, don't hurt me, please…"

Starsky thought of the girl standing by the cliff. The voice instinctively brought out the protective side of his nature. He hated to see girls and women hurt. "I won't hurt you."

A quick intake of breath. "Who's that?"

"David, who are you?"

"Michele…" the voice drifted lower. "Are you ok?"

"I am swimmingly fine" Starsky crooned from the darkness. Realizing what he had done, Starsky revised his statement. "Yeah, I'm ok. I just hit my head awhile back."

"You might have a concussion." Michele sounded confident, but then she seemed to realize that she was talking to a stranger in the darkness. "I need help, but I think you do too. The path was destroyed, and I think I found a way out, but I can't reach the ledge. I tried to move some rocks to stand on, but my arm is pretty sore."

"What from?"

Here, the girl paused. "I, um, I was attacked."

She was the girl he had followed.

"What happened?"

"Um, hey, do you think you could help me?"

Starsky noted the change of subject and the sound of fear in her voice, but he was feeling better now. Flying really. If he could help her get out, he could help Hutch get out too. He dropped the interrogation and climbed to his feet. "Sure…" He did not notice that he had left his gun on the floor.

She backed out into the starry night and waited for him to follow. "I need to get my friend…" he started to say as he came outside when he felt the now familiar sting in his leg. This time though, everything faded to black as his eyes rolled up in his head and he fell to the ground.

"Hutch!" He cried out weakly just before he lost consciousness.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

HUTCH returned to help Starsky move to their new location. It was closer towards the path on which they had entered the valley. The temperatures had dropped, but he was warm enough in his turtleneck and jacket. He was grateful he had worn some sneakers with good traction. If Starsky was up to it, he wanted to try to climb over the rock face that was left after the explosion. They had to get out of here. Starsky was going to need some time to get the drugs out of his system. Dobey would want to get a detail out here to track down the nutcase that had been shooting at Starsky.

He picked up a rock that fit snugly into the palm of his hand. He sure as hell did not want to get shot by his partner. He walked up to the opening in the rock face and threw it just inside the "doorway". If anyone was around, they just might mistake the noise for a loosened rock disturbed by a nocturnal creature. He waited a few seconds and then followed the rock into the cave.

"Starsk, it's me." No answer. It was quiet. Too quiet. There was no sound of breathing. Nothing. Had he died! Hutch started reaching out franticly in the dark, trying to find the body. He hit his head on an outcropping and scraped his hands on some sharp rocks, but he turned up nothing. Nothing. So he had not died. He must have become disoriented and walked out. At least that is what he hoped had happened. He eased his way towards the opening. Towards the front of the cave his hand brushed over something cold and metallic. He quickly identified it as Starsky's gun. Not knowing how or why his partner left his gun behind, Hutch stuffed it behind his back, rearranged his clothing and moved out to find his partner.

The sun rose over the hills, spilling light into the little valley. Hutch had no success in finding his partner, and suspected the worst. He was alone. He was frightened both for himself and for his partner. He located himself beside a small pool of water located behind a few fallen rocks. It was a good place to rest and eat some of the roots and berries that he had gathered while looking for shelter. He had not slept for the last 36 hours and it was getting to him. Eating and resting was not the first thing he had wanted to do, but he knew he would need to keep his strength. Silently he put aside some into a pocket for when he found Starsky – and he would find his friend. Of that he was certain. He doubted Starsky would want to eat. The drugs would upset his stomach terribly he recalled. Heroincould bean ugly and unpredictable drug.

HE remembered back to a conversation he had with Starsky after his ordeal with Ben Forest, Monk Fivells, Coney and company. They were enjoying a beer at Starsky's place after finishing up a case with a musician and some counterfeit money. He had finally regained his stride and it did not bother him as much to face what had happened. It helped that not many people knew about his ordeal. He forgot how the conversation had gotten started, but he had asked Starsky how he felt about that time. Starsky had taken a long drink from his bottle, and another before answering.

"I wasn't worried at first. I just thought you were pushing your weekend off. So did Dobey. He was not happy with you." Starsky took another swig, and then smiled. "You know Dobey actually said you were 'Shacked up with a beautiful woman.'"

"Dobey?" Hutch snorted and that turned into a laugh. "Could you see him coming in and telling Edith he wanted to 'shack up' with her?" That sent them both into a round of laughter.

Starsky took another drink and fiddled with his pinky ring. "I really became concerned after Huggy told me about Jennie running out on him during heavy trade" Starsky did a fairly good imitation of Huggy Bear's jive. "When it really hit me that you were missing, it was after I found your gun. Then I was scared." He looked down into his now empty beer bottle, picked it up and twirled around the dregs left on the bottom. "We put out an APB on you and I worked over every snitch and hood on the street." He looked up. "It was weird, interrogating people without you, about you." He looked down again. "It left me feeling exposed. There was no one to watch my back."

Starsky got a far off look on his face as he continued. "When I heard the call over the radio that you had been spotted, I wanted to wring your neck for scaring me like that. I had myself convinced that you had been spotted walking back from the store or something and you did not want to face Dobey for taking so much time."

Starsky got up and pulled another beer from the fridge. "I felt all that fear melt away and then I was just plain angry. When I drove down that alley and I saw Bernie, I thought that maybe you were drunk, you know like I am going to be." Starsky smiled and popped off the top. Hutch laughed and sucked down his own beer. "You want another?" Hutch nodded and took the one Starsky had just opened.

"Anyways," Starsky pulled another beer out and opened it and took another long swig. Covering a rather loud belch, he returned to his seat. "Anyways, when I saw you in the alley, I thought 'What a crazy idiot, getting drunk while on duty.' Dobey was going to have your sorry butt for dinner for the next month with this stunt. I think I was trying to figure out how to explain it to him so that I would not have to suffer right along with you when suddenly I realized how wrong I had been. You were messed up man. Do you remember anything about that?"

"Yeah, bits and pieces. I remember kicking the guy in the face in the backseat of Monk Fivell's car. And I ran. I felt like I was being burned alive, my blood hurt. Weird huh? I don't remember you finding me, but I think I remember fighting you in the car."

"You were a handful. I'm glad the Torino only has two doors. It made it easier to keep you in the car. Once we got you in the backseat, you didn't have enough coordination to get back out again. When you weren't puking, you were kicking. I didn't know where to take you. If I didn't think IA would have found some way to hold you responsible for the addition or that the press would have been all over your abduction, I would have taken you to the hospital." Starsky went over and got a glass of water. "There was just too much I did not know, and truth be told, I knew I could help you kick it cold turkey."

"Yeah. God, how I wanted more. I hope you never have to go through what I did."

"Me too."

They both laughed and found their respective bottles very interesting. Starsky started peeling the label off of his.

"You know, I don't have a problem standing up to hoodlums and the human trash out on the street, but facing you down was one of the hardest things I have ever done."

"I bet. You don't realize just how addictive that stuff is. I mean, we've seen all the junkies on the street and somehow they just fade into the failures that choose drugs over reality. Whatever drives them to the stuff, once they take it, you know they are not going to give it up. Not voluntarily. Not without hitting rock bottom." Hutch sighed. He hoped Belinda Williams had hit rock bottom and would seek help after selling out her former friend, Rankin. He saw Starsky's disgust with the girl when she asked what she was going to do now that she couldn't get some money for her former friend. He could see how badly she needed help. Starsky surely did not agree with his decision to give the money to her, but Starsky did not have the firsthand knowledge of the torture she endured. She was malnourished and in desperate need of detox. Somehow, he doubted she would use the money to get anything more than another fix. He agreed with Starsky in one aspect – it was her choice.

"I don't know how much they used on me, but I remember what it felt like when they took it away. I was desperate. When they weren't beating me they were taunting me. It was brutal. All they wanted was Jennie. After a time I could not think of anything but the drug and finding some way to stop the pain."

"That's why you gave that singer the money."

"When she said I had no idea what it was like, it just tore at me. I know what she is feeling. I could feel her pain. I so wanted you to get me just a little fix at Huggy's, something to take the edge off."

Silence settled on the two while they finished yet another bottle. "You want some water or another beer?" Starsky said, breaking into Hutch's thoughts.

"Water. Would you do anything differently?"

Starsky pulled a glass down and filled it with cold tap water. After handing it to his friend, he turned, stumbled, overcompensated and grabbed onto the refrigerator to regain balance. He opened it andpulled out another beer for himself. Finding his way back to his chair, he finally replied, "I wouldn't have left Huggy in charge of keeping you in one place…"

Hutch laughed and looked out the window. "It all worked out."

"You and your perch." Starsky laughed. "'You want to come down from there or shall I send out for lunch?'"

"Seriously, would you do anything differently?"

"I'll tell you this. If Ihad the choice, Iwould still go cold turkey. You were physically addicted. I knew you didn't truly want the drug mentally. I hated having to face you down when you were craving the drug. I just could not see myself going out to buy heroin and then shooting you up with it." Starsky shuddered. He then smiled and added, "It would ruin my sterling reputation."

They both snorted in amusement. "There really wasn't anything I could do but let you hit me and ride it out. Seeing the condition you were in, I'm not sure I could say it hurt me more than it hurt you, but you sure throw a mean right hook."

"Don't forget it either. That's what makes me a super cop."

Starsky rolled his eyes and replied, "I see you are still delusional."

Hutch looked his partner in the eye. "I'd do the same for you."

"I count on it, buddy."

HUTCH thought about what he would do once he got to his friend. He did not know where he was yet, but he would find him, and the gunman would pay. Hutch would ensure that.

Hutch was pulled from his reflections by the sound of footsteps approaching. Dropping the last of his makeshift meal, he aimed his gun in the direction of the sounds, and softly moved into a better position. Hutch could hear the person crying softly as she came nearer. He could make out the shadow of the person on the valley floor.

"Freeze," he snarled when she came around the stone. The girl jumped and smothered a scream. She looked frightened and panicked.

"Mister please don't hurt me!" her soft voice pleaded. "I need your help. Please, don't hurt me…"


	6. Chapter 6

This is a bit dark, so please be forewarned. The bad guys are really bad…

My heartfelt thanks to all the reviewers and readers! This writing has been a lot of fun to produce. Too bad I don't own any of the characters, except for Julie and Michele. They are entirely fictitious and not related to anyone living or dead that I know of (and I am thankful for that!)

**Chapter 6**

"I want to speed things up a little bit, detective, and having to shoot you with your partner guarding you is just slowing down the process." Starsky could feel himself being lifted. He guessed he had asked a question, but maybe this guy was talking to himself. He was unsure of himself and where he was. Almost as an afterthought, he felt a tightening around his right arm. Somebody rubbed it and lightly hit his arm inside the elbow. He felt a needle dive into his arm. Starsky tried to jerk away, and succeeded in earning a cuff to the head.

"Now, now. You know you want this." Starsky rolled his eyes towards the voice, but nothing would come into focus. "Wait…" but it was too late. He felt a warm flush and an exquisite feeling of floating. He forgot his fear of the needle and the man behind it as the drug worked its way through his body.

"He's not feeling a thing."

"No, but it is getting to him now. He needs it more and more often." Robert looked at Starsky with disgust. He had so enjoyed how Forest had used the drug to pressure this cop's partner into giving up that stupid girl, Jennie. Monk was sure he would not give, but Forest had pushed and gotten what he wanted. Monk. If he hadn't be so caught up in daydreaming about how he was going to try the drugs out on another guy that had roused his anger, Hutchinson would not have gotten away. Monk would still be alive. The only reason Robert was not behind bars with Conley and Forest was because Monk had beaten him senseless and left him for dead. Conley had helped. He had awakened in a hospital on the Southside. Nobody that mattered knew that he had lived. But Monk. Monk had found him again even after his death. He would not leave him alone. Robert was certain Monk would be satisfied after he had finished with this hunt. He would finally be vindicated and Monk would leave him alone.

Cops were thoughtless jerks. Selfish, thoughtless jerks. They deserved this. They had to be brought down a notch or two. And he had learned how to do it. He had been able to shoot him up five or six times since Julie's sister had lured him out. The little brat had taken off after he had taken the detective. When she returned he would have to punish her. He looked forward to that. He controlled her with his punishments. Her fear served his purposes.

He liked that, and so did Julie. She was such a twisted little sadist. She did not care what he did to her sister. He was coming to appreciate her icy will. It added just the right amount of thrill to the chase. Lately she had started helping him by teasing his subjects with a promise of freedom before they faced him for the final hunt. She could be so warm and the next moment so heartless.

She was the one who suggested that instead of going after Hutchinson immediately, he go after his partner. She had observed them closely while they drove her to the "safe house" and almost instinctively she figured that by hurting his partner, Robert could make his vengeance against Hutchinson that much sweeter. Though he would never let her know, he appreciated that insight. He would have simply shot them both once they were trapped in the valley. Playing with them like he had his other subjects was immensely satisfying. Yes, Julie had been very helpful. She had even provided her sister to supply the distraction he needed. A little heavy physical persuasion had convinced her that she was doing the right thing leading the detectives here. With Julie's support, Michele had no choice but to do what he wanted her to do.

He looked at Julie studying Starsky on the ground.

"No, he's not feeling anything. Not yet. But he will."

Julie smiled.

"I was watching Hutchinson. He's pretty pissed."

"He'll be frantic before long. After this next dose he can have his partner back. Once I am done with him, he will be begging for more. When Starsky doesn't get his fix in time, he'll be crawling up the wall. And maybe, if Hutchinson is lucky, I'll let him be the one to sooth his partner's tattered nerves with the needle. Maybe Hutchinson will want the needle for himself." Robert walked over to where the object of his attention lay. A faint bruise could be seen on his jaw. "I watched his buddy punch him. It was quite … satisfying."

Julie knew Robert found it more than satisfying. He rarely talked about his subjects during the hunt. This was his drug, making others suffer. She liked it when he got high like this. She liked the ways he could make his subjects squirm, beg and plead. Robert had honed his skill to perfection, and sometimes he allowed her to come along for the ride. Practice made perfect. She now realized that these guys were different though. When she saw that he had planned to shoot the two instead of drugging them and playing with them, she had to think quickly. She convinced Robert that shooting up Starsky would have devastating psychological effects on Hutch. Especially after he had told her about the first time he had worked over Hutchinson. Then she had brought out her tranquilizer darts. A little modification and it accommodated the heroin quite nicely.

She loved the look of horror on Starsky's face when he was fighting off his partner.

Robert rarely took on two, and bringing the guy in to mainline the drugs was a new twist. She found it intensely sensual. They locked eyes and in the next moment he had forced her head back and was kissing her with crushing force. She tasted blood. Her heartbeat began to race. When he finally released her hair, she took a deep breath, looked at Robert and smiled. Her eyes burned her desire.

The guy Robert had just shot up moaned. His trip was taking him down some ugly roads. "Let's make sure he'll be here for his next dose." Julie took a strip of rope and tied Starsky's hands to his feet. He was so high he wouldn't be able to untie the simplest of knots. She said as much to Robert.

"Baby, I have learned you never underestimate your subject. Do it right the first time, or you might lose it all." Julie smiled as she saw the hard look of anger flash in Roberts's eyes. She tied a couple of surgeon's knots and yanked each one tight. She would probably have to cut the ropes off. "For you, I'll always do it right."

She found herself in yet another crushing embrace. Robert meant for her to feel his strength, and she gave as good as she got. Robert was a vicious lover, and just as sadistic in his loving as when he was playing with his subjects. She rode the waves of pain into her own ecstasy. She knew Robert would find his own satisfaction in her.


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you so much for your reviews. Special recognition and thanks to my online friend Rebelcat and to Jan in VA, Nash Carter and Becki who somehow manage to pull up my work before I can!

Family is invading in the coming weeks. I am afraid this will have to suffice until I can get my life back…hate to keep you hanging…

**Chapter 7**

"Where is he?" Hutch growled.

"I'll take you to him. I didn't know…I didn't know." The girl looked lost and confused. Hutch knew better than to trust her though. He had no idea how they had gotten to his partner without a fight, but he was determined to find out.

"Hands up. Stay very still or I will shoot you right now." Slowly, his gun trained on her the whole way, Hutch worked his way over to where he could pat her down for concealed weapons. He was not delicate about it. There were very few places that she could hide any type of weapon. He felt a little uncomfortable when he patted down her legs, but he was not in the mood for surprises. He noted her wincing in pain, however he was beyond caring at this point.

"Put your hands behind your back." She looked at him, real fear showing in her face. "Look lady. I will not hurt you if you cooperate, but if you don't you will be witness to a whole new definition of police brutality."

"You're a cop!" She asked in surprise, and _relief_? She put her hands behind her back. Michele could feel the bite of the cuffs as Hutch tightened them around her thin wrists. "Listen, I will cooperate with whatever you want, just please, don't let him hurt me again."

"Him who?" Hutch asked in his rough interrogation voice. There was no good cop/bad cop here.

"Rob. I don't know his last name. He's my sister's _friend_." She seemed to spit out the word.

"Yours too, I suspect."

"No! I didn't know who he was. Julie told me she knew someone who needed an actress to play a bit part. I needed some money, I'm in school, and she told me it paid well. She brought me out here and dropped me off with him at our great aunt's old cabin. I thought we were coming out to the place to clean it up before we sold it. I didn't know him." She sped through her words, like a much needed confession. "He beat me and…" She bit her lip. "He kept on me for days. Then two days ago we moved to a cabin not far from the road. He got a phone call, and then he hit me. More than once. He said it was time to take care of the job I was hired to do. He took me out to the road, told me to run, and pushed me out in front of your car. I ran. He told me he would kill Julie if I didn't perform." She looked down and her lifeless red hair fell across her eyes. With a toss of her head, she flipped it back out of her eyes. Hutch noted the tears.

"I cooperated. I had too! She's my sister!" The tears started to flow. "She came and got me and told me where you were hiding. She said I had to get the guy there to follow me or Rob would kill her. He shot him with something and he fell down."

Hutch's heart froze. "Who?"

Misunderstanding the question, the girl forged on. "Your friend. He was alive though. He was drugged. And then Julie helped him carry your friend off. She helped him! She wasn't scared. I followed because I wanted to find a way out. I tried to stay out of the way though. They forgot I was there and I went to look for a way out. I found it, and came back to get Julie. She was kissing Rob!" The tears flowed freely. "She held your friends arm while he injected it with something. I'm so sorry. I didn't know…that's when I came here to find you. He needs your help. I don't care what happens to me now; I just needed to do something to help. I'm so sorry."

Hutch coolly observed the girl sobbing in front of him. He did not know how much he trusted her, but if she was acting, she was doing a flipping good job.

"You know where he is?"

"Yes."

"You will take me there. Any false move and I will shoot you without any regrets." Hutch lied.

"I understand." She said, straightening her shoulders. She wiped her swollen eyes on her shoulder and sniffed. "Do you want to follow me, or do you want me to tell you?"

"I'll follow."

She turned around and walked slowly northwards. While she led him towards a particularly rocky portion section of the cliff, Hutch pondered what the girl had told him. Who was this guy? He realized he had not gotten a good description of either Rob or Julie. They were too much in the open. He decided to wait until the sun went down. If this wasn't a trap, he had finally gained a foothold towards getting out of here. He ruthlessly pushed down any thoughts of what he would do after he got Starsky. He was not looking forward to reliving that particular nightmare.

Hutch needed more information, and he wanted to get out of the open.

"Stop."

"What's wrong?"

"We're going to rest for a minute. But not here. Over there." He pointed to a thicket of conifers. She started walking in the direction he had pointed.

"What's your name?"

Michele sighed. She was exhausted, in pain and wanted nothing more that to go home. She hoped she would live to see a hot tub and a glass of wine. She answered his question. "Michele." She looked around. "May I sit down?" She motioned towards a nearby rock.

"Not yet." Hutch wanted to get a little deeper into the cover of the small trees.

Understanding played over the girls face. She led the way deeper into the shade of the trees. The trunks of the trees were as big around as she was, probably bigger, their branches falling almost to the ground, but they weren't very tall. Not like the Sequoias. It was cooler here, and she could smell the scent of pine as she brushed past the branches. The needles made a dense carpet on the ground. A chipmunk, startled by their presence, made a quick getaway across their path.

When she got to where she thought was the center, she looked at Hutch, the unspoken question written on her face. Hutch nodded. With another sigh she sat down on a rather uneven rock, her hands uncomfortably bound behind her back. Hutch noted that she did not complain about the 'cuffs.

"Tell me about Rob."

"What do you want to know?"

"Let's start with what he looks like?" She described Rob to the best of her ability. She hated him and if there was anything she could do to help the policeman, she would do it. She told him about the guns he carried, the pathway to the clearing he was keeping Starsky in and everything she had heard him say.

Hutch was forming a clearer picture in his mind. He asked many questions, gathering as much information as he could about the terrain, the weapons he would be facing, and the possibility of other people. He then asked for more details about Rob, trying to get a better psychological picture. While she would not come out and say it, he was beginning to suspect that he had raped her, more than once.

"One night, after he had beaten me, he started talking to somebody, but no one was there. He kept saying 'I'll get him Monk, I'll get him.'"

Hutch's intensely blue eyes flared and he leapt up. "Monk? That's what he said? Monk?"

Michele looked at him, shocked. The man looked possessed, violent. She shied back, instinctively trying to bring her hands up, and then realizing they were handcuffed, she hunched her shoulders and braced herself for a blow.

Hutch noticed this protective move, and realized how he scared her. "I'm sorry, I won't hurt you. But are you sure? Was Monk the name?" His face was animated, and angry. Michele was afraid, but she nodded an affirmative.

Hutch looked away. Monk…from her description this Rob was neither Fivells nor Conely. But the other guy. The one who never talked, never had a name, but seemed to take extra enjoyment out of what they were doing to Hutch. He had to be this Rob guy. They had never found him when they dismantled Forest's network of hoods. Conely had said he had been beaten and left for dead because he had let Hutch escape. Forest had wanted a head and he got one.

This explained a lot. So, he finally had a name. And now he was making a plan.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry for the wait. The family is finally gone and my home is slowly returning to normal. Hopefully I can make up for the delay over the next couple of weeks.

Thank you for all the feedback. It helps keep me going.

**Chapter 8**

DOBEY had been notified that his two detectives had not returned from their assignment yesterday. He knew that one of two things had happened. One: they were in trouble. Two: they dropped off the girl and took off on their weekend. He leaned towards the latter until this morning when he had learned that Hutchinson's girlfriend had called the precinct asking if Hutch had returned. Now he was convinced it was the former.

He had been on the phone with the county sheriffs from the three districts he knew his officers had traveled through. Nothing had been reported in.

"No news is good news" did not apply in this case.

He picked up the receiver and punched the intercom line on his desk phone. "Officer Croft, what have you heard regarding Officers Hutchinson and Starsky?" His brows furrowed in frustration. "Nothing? Nothing! When was the last time you checked in with the county offices?" His chest expanded with a great intake of air. "TWO HOURS! I WANT YOU TO GET OFF YOUR LAZY BUTT AND GET THE UPDATES NOW!" His voice exploded with anger and frustration. The telephone cracked under the pressure he exerted as he returned the receiver to the cradle. It wasn't the first one to receive such treatment, and it wouldn't be the last.

MICHELE grimly led the way up a narrow path neatly hidden by fallen rock and debris. Hutch never would have found it without her help. He reached out and steadied her once again as she slipped on the loose gravel. While he wanted her safely out of commission, with the cuffs she was unable to maintain balance and it was only a matter of time before she fell flat on her face. If she was telling the truth, she could be a great asset in getting out of here, and the cuffs were only a hindrance to that end. However, she was responsible for leading them into this mess, and Hutch suspected she was not telling the whole truth. She was a fine actress if she were lying though. He could see her pain in the way she walked and it was grossly obvious when she sat down. She looked as if she were barely holding herself together emotionally. He doubted she was acting. Although she had not admitted it, he had witnessed other women reacting the same way after they were raped.

Who was this Julie? Michele had told him that Julie was twelve years older than she and that she had not really grown up with her. Her mother divorced Julie's father and had remarried before Michele was born. Julie had shuttled back and forth between her mother and father until she had decided she wanted to live with him all the time. Michele was two. Michele claimed she had only recently gotten to know her sister again. She did not know what Julie had been doing since she moved away. Her mother did not talk about her much.

Hutch knew that while Julie was not the key witness in the drug case going to court in a couple of weeks, she did hold some pretty incriminating evidence. She had been involved in the drugtrade, but had wisely worked out a deal with the DA before the DA had decided to prosecute her as well. If she were helping Rob, it would explain why he and Starsk had been "handpicked" for this assignment.

"We are getting close." Michele whispered. Hutch motioned for her to stop. He listened intently for a few moments and heard nothing. He looked again at the girl in front of him and made a command decision. He reached into his left pants pocket and pulled out the keys to the cuffs.

"Turn around." Michele did as she was told. Hutch removed the handcuffs with practiced ease and returned them to their place in his pocket. Michele unconsciously rubbed her wrists and muttered a soft "thank you".

"When we get up there, I want you to stay quiet and stay out of the way." Michele nodded and looked down. "If you run, I will shoot you. Do not try to warn anybody, or I will shoot you. Are we understood?" Hutch doubted he could actually shoot to kill the girl, but he would wound her and put her out of commission if it became necessary. Michele could see how serious he was and again nodded her understanding. Still rubbing her wrists she asked gently, "Isn't there anything I can do to help?"

"No lady. You have done enough." Hutch responded coldly. She had been instrumental in the capture of his partner, and he'd be damned before he trusted her. He reflected briefly on the condition of his friend and felt fear run through his body. He remembered the pain of addiction and longing like it was yesterday. He was not looking forward to facing down his partner when he himself knew what it was like to crave relief. But the "relief" heroin provided was a farce. The price was too high.

Hutch heard a faint moan from above where he stood. Starsky. He estimated he was maybe fifty or sixty yards above him. If he could hear Starsky then those holding him could hear Hutch. He would have to take extra care in traversing the remaining path in order to maintain the element of surprise.

Hutch held his finger to his lips to indicate that he wanted Michele to remain silent. She held her finger to her lips and nodded her understanding. Hutch indicated with his gun that she should resume their ascension and he noted in relief that she seemed to pick her footing to remain as quiet as possible.

As they neared the summit, Hutch tapped her shoulder and motioned that this was where he wanted her to remain. She sat down slowly on a nearby rock. Hutch thought briefly about applying the cuffs again, but there was nothing nearby that he could cuff her to and he had nothing that would make an effective gag. He hated trusting her, but that was all he had right now. He wanted his cuffs available for Rob anyways. He did not know what he would do with the piece of trash once he had him subdued, but he suspected it would not be pretty. He looked forward to the confrontation.

Silently, he took to the path and made his way to a point where he could see but not be seen. At first he could see nothing in the clearing. The ground was flat, dusty and dry. The sun beat down on the plateau mercilessly. In the exact opposite of the valley below, very little grew here. Slowly scanning from left to right he noticed a blue sneaker behind a group of rocks. It was dusty and did not move. He could not tell if it was on a foot, or had been thrown down there. One thing he did know was that this was his partner's shoe. He was in the right area.

He checked behind him down the path that he had negotiated. Michele continued to sit quietly with her head down between her legs. He could see that she had her hands up on her head with her fingers laced together in her lifeless hair. She looked like she was going to be sick. As long as she remained quiet, he did not care.

He scanned the clearing again. He could make out a small shelter towards the back of the plateau, but he could see no movement from there. He heard a moan again and the blue shoe moved slightly and then more convulsively. His heart skipped a beat as he imagined the condition his partner was in. He wanted to go to him immediately, but he knew precipitous movement might get himself killed, and in turn, his partner. He could not see any other movement than that of his partner. Once again he looked down the path and noted that Michele had not moved. It was now or never.

Silently and with single-minded purpose, Hutch set out towards his friend. He stayed low and constantly scanned for movement around him. He did not see anything, but that was in no way reassuring. Rob and his demented girlfriend were out there, and he did not know where. Until they were firmly under his control, Hutch was vulnerable.

Finally he came to the area where his partner lay. Pity and anger fought for dominance in his demeanor. Anger ruled. Starsky lay on the ground, his face and neck burned from the exposure to the sun. His eyes were closed, but his face was animated. Fear and pain played across his features. His hands were lashed behind him and his feet were bound together with a rope laced between both his ankles and his wrists. Starsky tried to move again and then moaned as he fought against unseen demons. Hutch knelt down beside his friend and placed a reassuring hand on Starsky's left shoulder. Starsky stirred convulsively, trying to get away from the unseen pressure. Hutch risked a word of reassurance and then looked around for any movement. Nothing.

He tried to remove the bindings without success. Starsky struggled again against the ropes and his friend. "Nooo!" he shouted without opening his eyes. "No." he said again, only this time softly, defeatedly. Hutch's heart broke.

"It's ok. You will be ok. I'll get you out of here buddy." Hutch whispered.

"I don't think so Hutchinson." said a voice to his right. He looked up and saw the barrel of a rifle aimed directly at his chest.

It had been a trap.


	9. Chapter 9

Ok, this should answer some lingering questions. It is by no means the end, though…

**Chapter 9**

"SIR a car fitting the description has been found in Kern County. Sheriff Martin is on the line to give you more details."

"About time." Dobey muttered. "Put him on."

HUTCH felt an uncontrollable flood of anger surge through him as he looked a Rob for the first time in years. He started forward in a red haze but stopped abruptly when he heard a warning shot fly by his left ear. He could do his partner no good dead. With difficulty, Hutch struggled to control his rage.

"Don't move again, or the next shot will go through your heart." Rob stood up from where he had been hiding; quiet effectively, behind a boulder. His clothing was chosen to blend with the surroundings and it worked well.

"Let's get rid of that gun, shall we? First, remove the bullets." Robert said with deadly authority.

Hutch looked down at his gun, reluctant to give up his weapon. His mind working at a furious pace, he realized he would have to do what he was told. Carefully he removed each cartridge and held them in his left hand. His right hand held the now empty and useless .357 Magnum.

"Throw the bullets behind you."

Hutch obeyed.

"Now toss the gun over the ledge." It was not close by, but with some effort, most people could send it over the edge.

Hutch looked towards the ledge and with much regret, he threw the handgun towards it. The gun clattered along the ground and stopped short of falling over the cliff by mere inches.

Rob tisked Hutches poor throw, but without the bullets, the gun was useless. Rob stood and took a careful step towards his prey.

"Finally. You are mine once again. Only this time I intend to finish the job."

"Why do you want him?" Hutch motioned to his struggling partner. "He's nothing to you. Let him go."

"You're right. He's nothing to me, but I suspect he is everything to you. He has a purpose here, and I intend to keep him to the bitter end." Rob glanced at the man on the ground, now actively fighting his bonds and occasionally crying out. "He's coming down. You know what that is like, don't you? Do you miss it Hutchinson?"

"No." Hutch's eyes burned in anger and belied the calmness of his voice. While the euphoria of the drug was seductive, the addiction and withdraw was something he never wanted to experience again in his lifetime. No, he had no desire for that poison. He hated to see his friend struggle against its control.

"I remember when you begged me for another hit. You wanted a little help." Rob grinned evilly and spared a glance at Starsky, his face reflecting his perverse pride as Starsky thrashed about on the ground. "Your partner feels the same way. I bet you want to help him, don't you. Or maybe you want some for yourself." Rob sneered at Hutch.

Another figure came towards Rob from behind. Hutch strained to make out who it was.

Julie joined her cohort, her face smug and arrogant. Hutch fought the urge to slap it. She laughed and added, "Maybe we can accommodate them both, darling."

"Soon enough." Rob spared a quick glance in her direction. She was holding a length of rope in her hands in anticipation of what he would want. He liked that. He was ready for a little walk down memory lane.

"Hold your hands out Hutchinson. One wrong move and I will kill you now. I would hate to miss my fun, but I don't care how you die."

Hutch paused a moment before holding his hands out in front of him. He remembered Starsky's gun in his belt, and hoped these lunatics would forget to look. Granted, he would have some trouble reaching it with his hands bound in front, but he would have better aim than if his hands were behind him. Julie smiled at him as she walked towards him. She took great pleasure in securing his wrists tightly to each other.

"Now let's take a little walk. Over there." Rob motioned with his rifle where he wanted Hutch to go.

"What about my partner?" Hutch asked, concerned for the welfare of his friend.

"I'll take care of him soon enough." Hutch found no comfort in the double meaning of Rob's answer. With one last look at his beleaguered friend, he started walking towards the shelter that Rob had indicated.

"Rob, wait!" The voice came from behind him. Michele! That traitorous little…

"So there you are. You didn't run after all." Rob smiled pervertedly. "Join him." He indicated with his rifle that she should join Hutch.

Slowly Michele walked up behind the man she had led up here. She was terrified, but she felt that this was the last thing she could do to help. The only thing she could do to end this nightmare. She had observed the gun tucked into Hutch's waistband earlier that day, and hoped she could use it.

Seeing her cooperate, and knowing Hutch was firmly bound, Rob finally dropped his rifle from Hutch's heart and turned slightly to talk to Julie. He was thrilled by the turn of events.

A shot rang out and Rob's right elbow exploded under the impact. The rifle fell to the ground. He turned his murderous eyes on his assailant. Michele screamed and took aim again, fervently hoping this time she could get the gun she had removed from Hutch's belt to send its bullet where she needed it to go. She squeezed the trigger again. This time red blossomed on Rob's chest. He pawed at his chest with his good arm, anger and rage blazing. He took a deep breath and started to move towards Michele. She screamed in terror as his eyes fixed on her. Suddenly he stopped, his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground. Dead.

Julie looked at her sister, shocked and angered at the betrayal. "You killed him! You little bitch! You killed him!"

Michele shook with the unexpected adrenaline rush. The stench of cordite stung her nostrils. Eyes dilated, her voice broke as she told her sister not to move. She did not want to kill her, but Julie had abandoned her to the cruelty of her "boyfriend" knowing what he would do with her. The betrayal struck her to the core, and any fantasies she mighthave held for a good relationship with her estranged sister died at that moment.

"Give me the gun." Hutch calmly instructed his unexpected savior. Michele stood shaking for a moment. His words finally getting through, she slowly handed him the gun. She did nothing to remove the ropes that bound his hands together. "Get the cuffs." Michele nodded and retrieved the handcuffs from the pocket where earlier she had watched him place them when he had released her. Without instruction she walked over to Julie.

"You, walk over to that tree and put your hands behind you." Hutch calmly instructed. Julie stood her ground for a moment, dismay and anger playing over her features. She looked down at Rob where he lay facedown. Anger distorted her face.

"If you want to join him, just try it. Otherwise, do what I told you to do. Walk over to the tree and put your hands behind your back.

Julie shuddered in her anger and defeat, but she turned and walked over to the tree. It was one of the few remaining trees on the plateau and while it looked sickly it was still strong enough to hold her in place.

"Put your hands behind you. Michele, 'cuff her to the tree. I want no surprises."

Numbly, she nodded and walked over to her sister. She did not look at her while she closed the handcuffs around Julie's wrists. Her knuckles scrapped on the rough bark of the tree. She made sure the handcuffs were secured tightly.

"Got your revenge, huh, _little_ sister. You never loved me. You never cared."

"Yes, Julie. I did. I don't now."

Michele walked over to where Hutch stood. "I am so sorry." She tried to untie the ropes around his wrists, but could not. She began to cry as she struggled.

"Michele. You will be all right. We will get you home." She nodded and tried to stop crying, but the remaining adrenaline made that difficult. Hutch was familiar with the feeling, and tried to assert a calm, instructive presence for her.

"We will need something to cut the ropes with…"

"I'll see if there is a knife over there." She said, pointing in the direction of the shelter. Michele seemed to ask the statement and looked at Hutch for direction.

"Go. I'll wait here with Starsky."

Michele nodded and made her way towards the small building, wiping tears away as she walked. Her shoulders shook, and Hutch could see that she was still crying.

Putting Michele out of his mind for the moment, Hutch turned his attention towards his partner. Starsky still struggled against his bonds as he fought against demons only he saw.

"Starsk." Hutch said softly, compassionately. "Starsk, it's ok, it will be ok. I'm here. Help is on the way." Hutch continued to murmur reassurances to his partner, and on some level he knew that he had gotten through. Starsky began to relax, though he still did not open his eyes. His breathing was rapid, his body drenched in sweat. Hutch was relieved to see that he could still produce sweat, but knew his partner was facing dehydration as well.

Michele returned with a wicked looking Bowie knife. Her hands shook as she tried to cut the ropes off of Hutch's wrists. When the ropes finally fell, they were tinged red with Hutch's blood. Michele saw it and began crying again. "I'm sorry, so sorry!" Hutch replaced the gun behind his back, then gently took the knife from her hand and replied in the same comforting voice he had used with Starsky, "It's all right. Everything will be all right."

"There are all sorts of guns and knives in there." Michele looked back at the small shelter. "It's horrible."

"Ok. We are going to get out of here. Now." He took a moment and established eye contact. "You did the right thing." Michele nodded, and became distant. The last of her tears left a saline trail on her cheek and by her nose.

Hutch turned and began cutting the ropes off of his friend. Starsky no longer struggled, but his body vibrated with fine tremors and his breathing remained rapid. He opened his eyes and with a sob he said "Hutch."

"It's me buddy. I'm going to get you out of here."

Starsky nodded and struggled to stand. As soon as he gained his knees though, he immediately began to vomit. Dry and empty, his body's efforts produced nothing as it heaved. Hutch held his friends head until the spasms subsided.

"Wait here, just a moment." With a nod at Michele, he walked over to where he had thrown his gun. It had lodged on a rock right at the edge. He picked it up and replaced it in its holster. He did not bother with the cartridges. It would take too long, and he wanted to get out of here immediately.

He took his friend's arm and placed it around his neck, and then scooped him up by his legs. Starsky's breathing remained fast and Hutch could feel the tremors that assaulted his friend's body.

"Did you see any water or food when you went in." he asked of Michele. She shook her head numbly and replied "I wasn't looking, I mean, I didn't see, I mean…"

"It's ok. Let's check again, and then lets get out of here."

"What about her?"

"She's fine for now. I will send someone up to retrieve her and the body."

Michele shuddered, but held her head high and walked into the shelter again.

"I found some water, and some candy bars" She said as she came out a minute later. She had opened one of the candy bars and was eating it.

Hutch gently sat his friend down on the ground. He took the milk jug of water from her and took a brief drink. It was stale, but not foul. He bent down to give Starsky some water as well. Starsky took it like a hungry baby to a bottle. Hutch had to hold him back from drinking too much too fast, or he knew none of it would remain in his system long enough to do any good.

Capping the jug, he handed it back to Michele and helped Starsky to stand. Starsky was unsteady on his feet, but was able to walk with Hutch's assistance. Hutch looked at Michele and stated, "Alright, let's go."

"Don't leave me here!" Julie cried angrily behind him. Hutch ignored her, his concentration riveted on the path ahead of him and the difficult load he carried. Starsky may have been walking, but most of the burden of his weight remained on Hutch. He would send someone back as quickly as possible, but he was not going to risk takingJulie with them when his hold on his friend was so tenuous.

Michele led the way without a backwards glance. The path was littered with stones and gravel, and it took all of Hutch's strength to keep upright and moving. The trip down was awful. He was exhausted, but he kept walking. It felt like they had been walking for days when he heard a voice.

"Hutchinson!" Dobey's voice boomed from the path below. He and two other officers made their way up the path, relief evident on his face.

"What's his condition?" Dobey panted as he approached.

"There is a girl cuffed to a tree up there," Hutch said, ignoring his captain's question. "and a body. They are responsible for this. Arrest her. I'll file the charges later." Dobey motioned the two officers up the trail, but remained with his men.

"He's been shot up with something, cap. I think it was heroin." Hutch said in a low voice after the other officers had left. Starsky looked wildly around, but did not say anything.

"Ok. Do you want to take him to the hospital?"

Hutch looked at his friend, and remembered their previous conversations. "Cap, if it is all the same to you, I think he would prefer this was dealt with away from a hospital."

"Mumm." Dobey grunted, understanding the implications. "Your car is still down there. That's how we found you, from the note you left. The other group followed a path that ended rather abruptly."

"I know the one you are talking about." Hutch replied coldly.

"I'll go with you and will take care of the rest. You take Starsky back home. Report in to me tomorrow by phone. Keep me updated. I will place you both on sick leave until this is resolved." Dobey instructed as he assisted Hutch down the path with Starsky's other arm draped over his shoulder. Between the two of them,the load was easier to bear. "Tell me what happened and I will file the charges for you."

As they negotiated the path, Hutch related the entire series of events. When he told of Michele's earlier actions, Dobey eyed her with concern, but shortly it became clear that she was as much a victim, and as well a hero, in the whole sordid situation. They reached the road about 80 yards down from where Hutch had left his car. Three marked cruisers, and Dobey's personal vehicle were parked nearby. One officer remained with the vehicles, a large radio in his hand.

"They found the girl," he reported, "and Officers Wilkinson and Baker are making their way around to help out. They reported that someone has used explosive to destroy the path they were following."

Hutch nodded grimly.

"Get your partner in your car, and get him to where he needs to go. Take the water with you. He's going to need it." Dobey told Hutch gruffly. "Michele, I will make sure you get home safely, but I need some information from you first." Michele nodded in understanding. She had not spoken since they had met up with Dobey, but she seemed calmer than she had been.

Gently Hutch placed Starsky in the front seat. His partner moaned, "I'm going to be sick" and promptly followed suit. Again, Hutch held his head as what little water he had consumed came back and his body was wracked with dry heaves. When they finally subsided, Starsky relaxed against the seat rest.

Hutch pushed onthe door, trying to close it softly, but the cantankerous hinges required more effort and he wound up slamming it instead. Starsky flinched, and muttered, "Get a new car, you idiot!"

Hutch smiled as he came around the car. Michele was there, and Hutch paused a moment. "Thank you." He said sincerely.

"I don't deserve it. I'm the one who lead you into this whole mess. I am so sorry."

Hutch sensed she would not forgive herself until she heard the words from him. Gently he told her, "You are forgiven. It is over. I understand why you did it, and I understand that you saved our lives. I will not forget. Thank you."

Michele quietly started crying again.

"You need to go to the hospital. I know he hurt you and you are going to need medical attention." Hutch deliberately avoided using the word rape, but he was certain it had happened.

Michele shuddered, and nodded as she cried.

"Captain. I am leaving now." Hutch walked over to where his superior was working with the remaining officer, coordinating the retrieval efforts. Dobey turned his attention on him again. In a lower voice, Hutch added, "I believe she was raped, she needs treatment. The woman up there is her sister. Get Michele out of here before she comes down. "

Dobey's eyes softened in understanding for a moment, before his gruff demeanor returned. "I'll see to her, you take care of that partner of yours." Dobey went over to Michele and directed her towards his car.

Hutch returned to his beat up LTD and got in behind the steering wheel. Starsky groaned and shivered in misery. The drug in his system was calling out for more, and the fight was excruciating. Hutch fought his own pain as he put the car and gear and started for home.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

THE drive back was a nightmare. For Starsky who was fighting unknown fiends and for Hutch who was fighting Starsky while driving. He had to stop twice. Once, for Starsky to vomit on the side of the road. Later when Starsky tried to open the door while Hutch was maxing out the speed on the LTD (which was not very fast - fortunately). For one terrifying moment, Hutch thought he was going to lose his partner as he struggled to hold Starsky in and stop the car. Thankfully they had made it out of the mountains by that time, and were on a relatively flat, open road. The gal in the car behind him got a rude awakening as he struggled to keep the LTD from spinning out as he skidded to the shoulder and came to an abrupt stop. Served her right. She was following too closely anyways. He ignored the blare of her horn as she raced past on the left. He finally was able to get the gear in park and turned his attention fully on his flailing partner.

Starsky was fighting like a madman trying to break Hutch's grip on his shirt. Hutch noticed that the darker blue of his eyes was incredibly vivid as his pupils were tightly constricted. They were focused on something Hutch could not see. Whatever it was, his friend was obviously terrified. Starsky twisted away and again struggled with opening the door. When he succeeded, Hutch launched himself across the bench seat and managed to grab a retreating leg. That earned him a kick from Starsky's free foot in the side of his head. Without letting go, Hutch pushed himself the rest of the way out of the still running car, and focused on subduing his out of control partner.

Thankfully, Starsky's coordination was shot. He was having difficulty getting his feet under him, yet that did not deter him from his determined escape. He thrashed out, trying desperately to get away. Hutch finally pinned him, his legs straddling Starsky's wildly jumping back and he held each arm firmly on the ground.

"Starsky! Starsk! You're ok, it's me. It's Hutch. It's OK buddy, it's ok!" Hutch continued talking his friend as he held him down. Gradually, Starsky began to settle down, only to start fighting again once Hutch relaxed his grip. Hutch could not figure out what it was Starsky was fighting against, but he knew it was something awful. What the hell had they given him! He thought it was heroin, but he began to wonder if it was something more. Worried, Hutch began talking his friend down again. He noticed that Starsky's struggles changed to an all over tremor, and finally, after a couple of years, or so it seemed, he finally subsided.

"Now what do we do, buddy?" Hutch asked of the sweaty, dirty form underneath him. In reality, he was just talking to himself. He knew what he would do if Starsky was a junkie off the street. He would cuff him and secure him in a seatbelt until he could get him to where he was going without a second thought. But this was Starsky. His friend. Not just some junkie. Hutch heaved a great sigh as he sought out Starsky's cuffs. Starsky no longer struggled as Hutch helped him into the backseat of his car. He helped Starsky lay down across the seat and placed the center waist belt around him. Pathetically, his friend began to moan and move restlessly. Hutch decided he could not risk his life again, but it tore at his soul as he secured his friend's hands to the base of the front seat.

He went around the car and wrenched his door open. He had to get back and as quickly as possible. He slapped the mars light on the roof of his car, adding yet another ding to the pocked "paint" job. That was one benefit of driving the LTD. He didn't have to worry about hurting the finish. He kept the siren to a minimum, remembering the pain the sounds gave him when he was in a similar condition. He raced home, like a man possessed. Which, in a way, he was…

"CAPTAIN Dobey to Zebra three. Come in Zebra three."

Hutch had turned down the volume on his police radio to decrease the noise for Starsky, but had not turned it off completely. He turned up the radio and responded. Hutch ground his teeth and endured another kick at his seat by Starsky.

"Hutch. You need to know, Julie Bouldin escaped custody."

"WHAT! What the hell happened out there?" Starsky moaned and kicked the back of Hutch's seat again.

"Evidently she was carrying some of the drugs she used on, er … our acquaintance…and used them on the officers that were escorting her down the mountain. Michele is safe, however we are awaiting backup and an ambulance now before we can secure the site. Manpower is rather thin out here. I am sending Michele to a safe house until her sister is recaptured."

"What kind of idiots are these guys! They didn't check her to see if she was carrying anything? How could they turn their backs on her! Captain, isn't there anyone out there with half a brain in their head…"

"HUTCHINSON!"

"Besides yourself, of course."

"Hutchinson, you have one thing you need to concentrate on, and that is your partner. Where are you going to be?" Dobey had a way of redirecting Hutch's thoughts into a more productive mode.

"My place." Hutch said without fully thinking things through.

"Get there, and I will call you when I am on a secure line. Call Dr. Anthony if you need him. He can 'unofficially' assist you."

"Yes SIR!" Hutch almost yelled and then he threw the mike across the car. Damn it! How could they have let her escape! Well, at least the mastermind of all of this was dead. He would have preferred to be the one to do the shooting, but when it came down to it, Michele probably suffered just as much at that lunatic's hand as he did. He envied her the satisfaction of seeing him to his just rewards, though he was content that the malicious fanatic was dead.

He returned his thoughts to the task at hand. Hutch was exhausted and was ready to be home. He turned in his seat to check his partner. Starsky was hyperventilating and he was still sweating. His eyes looked sunken though, and frantic. Starsky began kicking fervently at Hutch's seat again as he fought yet another nightmare, the waist belt held, but was beginning to ride up over Starsky's hips. Hutch sighed, endured the kicking and concentrated on the remaining five miles until he was home.

GETTING Starsky upstairs to Hutch's apartment was easier than he had thought. He had removed the handcuffs as quickly as possible and braced himself for another fight. Instead, Starsky looked at him with a brief look of comprehension. He struggled to sit upright and tried to help Hutch get him out of the car while his body shook and trembled. He looked like he had been on an all night bender, at least that is what Hutch hoped as a woman passed by, walking her dog. The dog stopped, finding the scents fascinating, and the woman had to drag him off. She looked like she could not get away fast enough.

"Come on, Starsk. Let's get you upstairs." Hutch said, his voice full of compassion and understanding.

"Your car stinks." Starsky muttered.

"Yeah? Well so do you, my friend." Hutch pulled Starsky's arm over his shoulder and escorted the wobbly man towards the stairs. Thankfully, instinct seemed to guide his friend's feet up the stairs, and Hutch pulled down the key from over his doorway. Unlocking his door, Hutch pushed the key in his pocket and not back in its "hiding spot". While it was convenient to have up there, with Rob's girlfriend on the loose, he did not want to take any chances.

He directed the now shaky Starsky over to the couch and removed his friend's shoes.

"You with me there, partner?" Hutch asked, and was rewarded with a gagging sound. Starsky retched painfully while Hutch ran for the trashcan. "We just have to get through the next forty eight hours. We can do that. You are going to be ok. Hang in there buddy." Hutch kept up with the calm dialogue as he knelt by his friend, while Starsky heaved into the trashcan.

"I'm going to put on some coffee. We are going to need it." Hutch groaned as he lifted himself up off the floor. _God, how did Starsky do it?_ He had help. Huggy. Once he got things settled, he was going to call in Huggy's assistance too. Starsky curled up on himself on the couch, and began violently shaking. "Hutch, oh god, Hutch, help me. Please, help me."

He looked into Starsky's wild eyes. They seemed so sunken and dry. He pulled his friend close. "Shhh, it's ok. I'm here. We're going to get you through this." He could feel the panic his friend was living. He had been there himself. When they had finally talked about Hutch's ordeal, Hutch had walked away with the impression that if roles were reversed Starsky would want to go cold turkey, away from the professional eyes of a hospital and nurses. He wanted no medical records created that could fall into the wrong hands. There was a loss of control, a fear, that he just could not risk letting the world see. His friend, yes. Anyone else. No. The punks and perverts that they faced on this job could somehow get a hold of the information and use it against them in the future. Starsky would lose his effectiveness. Hutch knew he had to see his friend through this. And he would. As Starsky had for him.


	11. Chapter 11

My gratitude to all those who have reviewed my efforts, especially to the real (anonymous) "Dr. Kyle Anthony"who helped me work out all of the addiction details. I wish all doctors were like you!

To Jan in VA, I hope this helps answer your questions!

**Chapter 11**

JULIE was angrier than she had ever been in her life. And she had been a very angry child. She made her way to the mountain shelter she and Rob had put together a while ago, to hide out in when the heat was on. It was like a bomb shelter built into the side of the mountain. They had just taken what nature had in place and tweeked it a bit. Julie was certain it had been home to countless bear generations and probably even a pioneer or two. The skeletal remains of a few small animals were scattered about when they first discovered the cave. Julie had wanted to get rid of them, but Rob, he like them. He had said that he liked to think about how they had died. He got down and showed her how some of the bones bore gnaw marks and were scattered around. "Torn off as a cat gorged on the helpless creature's muscles." She could remember how his eyes glittered as he showed her how cruel nature could be.

She had always been fascinated with the darker, more sinister side of life, but she had not known how wonderful it could be until Rob. He was an artist. A sadistic artist who could make her feel the euphoria of the hunt, the satisfaction of running the prey to exhaustion, and finally the sheer ecstasy of the kill. It was as if she had been only to see in shades of gray, and Rob had helped her to see in color, like those new televisions. Nothing was ever as satisfying as when she was with Rob. He was the pinnacle.

And to be brought down at the moment of triumph, when he had both of the cops together and at his mercy, brought down by the betrayal of her little sister! It was the cruelest moment of her life. Julie had hated Michele ever since she was born. Her mother had remarried a good, kindhearted soul and they had whelped a good, kindhearted kid. She had hoped Rob would have been able to teach her more about real life, life on the edge, but the baby ran. Michele was not a real woman.

Julie raged against them all. But she had learned one important element from Rob as she grew older. Control. It is what gave her an edge. It is what separated her from the weak. It kept her going now.

She cautiously felt her way into the shelter, making certain she had closed the camouflaged door completely before slipping around the dark curtain they had hung and finally lighting the lantern. She did not want any light seeping around the edges of the door. It would alert someone to her presence. She and Rob had stashed enough food and water to survive in comfort for a couple of months, and to just survive for a year if necessary. Julie could wait out the search that she knew would be going on for her in relative comfort. But now she was alone. Rob would not be coming back. Julie would not cry, but she would rage. Silently, as Rob had taught her. It brought her power. And she would plan. She knew what Rob had in store for Hutchinson. They had Starsky hooked and dependent and they had been ready to return him to watch him suffer with his partner, powerless to help him without the drugs. They had been so close. It could not end this way. Not while she was living. She would make sure that all of them paid for the terrible injustice they had brought on Rob. He would be avenged.

Hutch had tried to get the coffee down Starsky, but none of it was staying. He knew the stimulant effect of the caffeine would be good to counteract the depressant effects of the heroin, but again, was that all they gave him? Hutch was worried and knew he needed help. Starsky was still fighting, but his efforts were weak and lacked coordination. Hutch's jaw was grateful for the break, it was still sore from where Starsky had kicked him, but he felt Starsky's continued weakness did not seem good.

He put in a call to Captain Dobey who again referred him to Dr. Anthony. When Hutch reminded him that Starsky would not want any record of this, Dobey told him that he was calling in a favor and that Hutch should make the call.

From what he had heard, Dr. Anthony was a good doctor as far as doctors went. Hutch was inclined to mistrust them all, but Dobey seemed to trust him. While Starsky once again dry heaved in the bathroom, Hutch reluctantly placed the call. Dr. Anthony was with a patient, and Hutch had to wait about 5 minutes before the nurse came back on the line to tell Hutch she was forwarding the call. Hutch was ready to scream.

"This is Dr. Anthony. Detective Hutchinson?"

"Yeah."

"Captain Dobey called me and told me to expect your call. How's your friend."

Exhausted, Hutch could only focus on his surprise. "Captain Dobey called you? Why?"

"Captain Dobey helped my family a long time ago when my daughter was kidnapped. You did not answer my question. How's your friend?"

Hutch proceeded to tell him what was going on and answered the doc's questions as best he could. He was shocked when the doctor asked him how to get to his apartment.

"I thought doctors didn't make house calls anymore."

"They don't, not when they are seeing their patients in the office. But when I am visiting a sick friend, I don't keep records. I've had my nurse clear a couple of hours for me."

"I see." Relieved, Hutch explained how the doc could find him.

He hung up the phone wondering how Dobey had managed to talk the doctor into unofficially taking care of Starsky. At this point he did not care. He just needed the help and he was grateful to Dobey. Hopefully, this guy was not a quack.

He went back into the bathroom where Starsky was curled up on the floor. The retching had stopped, but his body was trembling and he seemed to be panting. His eyes were panicky and he just looked miserable. _God, is this what he had looked like when Starsky helped him? So pitiful and in so much pain. How did he do it?_ Looking at him was tearing Hutch's heart out so he opted for action. Swallowing his fear, he took a deep breath and got a washcloth. He wet it down with cool water. Wringing it out, he cautiously bent down next to his friend and wiped his face. Starsky closed his eyes, and Hutch thought he had relaxed a little.

"I've called a doctor. Can you believe he is going to come here to help? Neither can I. We need to get you cleaned up a little. Can you help me?" Starsky faintly nodded, but that is about all he did. At least he was not fighting Hutch's ministrations anymore. Hutch took the opportunity to clean up as much of Starsky as he could see - mainly face and hands. He tried removing Starsky's jacket, but the tremors were too strong and his muscles were like steel bands. After a while, with much effort, he was able to get him out of the bathroom and back on the couch. At least there he could see him from any part of the apartment.

There was a knock at the door, followed by a tentative, "Detective Hutchinson?"

Drawing his gun, Hutch approached the door from the side. He was very wary these days, especially with the girl on the loose. She probably was not much of a threat, women rarely were, but one never knew. Diane was a good case in point.

"Yeah?" Hutch opened the door partway.

"I'm Dr. Anthony." Said the figure from the hallway.

"Yeah, sure." Hutch said as he hastily replaced his gun in its holster. "Come in, come in." Hutch backed up to allow the doctor entrance. He rapidly assessed the man who entered the room. The doctor looked to be about fifty and stood about 5'10, thin build, dark hair sprinkled with gray, and he had hazelish eyes.

"Tell me about your friend." Dr Anthony rapidlyscanned the room and walked over to his patient. Hutch didn't know how much he could trust this man, and was uneasy about just telling him everything. He paused.

"Captain Dobey told me that Detective Starsky had a pretty harrowing two days. He emphasized the desires you guys have about records. I will do the best I can for you, but I need some information. Do you know how many times he was dosed and with what?" Without waiting, the doctor competently and with great care started to examine Starsky.

Hutch decided to trust him. He knew Starsky was in a bad way, and he needed the help. Again, by pushing aside his emotions and relying on his training, he was able to explain to the doc the events of the past two days. He related his suspicions of heroin, but the concerns that it might have been mixed with something else.

Somehow, the doctor had managed to get Starsky to relax enough to get the jacket off. He was able to work around Starsky's tee shirt. Impressed by this small feat, Hutch decided to talk frankly with the guy about his concerns over records.

"Doc, you have to make sure there are no records about Starsky being an addict."

"First off, detective…"

"Ken."

"Kyle." The doctor held out his hand and smiled. Hutch briefly shook it. "As I was saying, your friend is not an addict. He is physiologically dependent on the drugs he was given, but that is different from being psychologically dependent."

"What."

"I'll explain more later, right now we have to deal with a bigger problem. Detective Starsky here is dehydrated. Dangerously so. I suspected as much and brought some bottles of fluid with me. It will make a huge difference in the way he is feeling." He paused and looked directly at Hutch. "However, I believe there might be a problem, and I will need your help."

"What's that, doc?"

"I am going to have to start an IV. With the track marks I see on his arms I can tell they used a needle on him. He might fight us."

"Us?" Hutch said with a sinking feeling.

"Yes. I will need your help in keeping him still long enough to get a needle in. If we were in the hospital, where he belongs by the way, I would have enough staff to help. But we are not, and if you want your friend to recover, we have got to get some fluids in. This is the best way, since he is not keeping anything down by mouth."

Hutch swallowed nervously. God knows, he hated needles. He was not eager to see one inserted into his friends arm. What if Starsky thought that he was helping shoot him up?

The doctor's calm eyes assessed Hutch's nervousness. "I'm going down to get the supplies out of the car."

Hutch ran his hand through his hair, and nodded distractedly at the doc. He went over to look at his friend laid out on the couch. Starsky looked so incredibly sick. Crap. He really did not want to have to hold Starsky down, but it was the only way. He took a deep breath and decided he could face this. He'd have to. _Lord, I hate needles_.

Dr. Anthony returned carrying a box full of medical supplies.

"How can I help, doc." Hutch asked in a tentative voice.

"I need for you to go find a washcloth and a towel. Oh, and a sheet or a blanket." Dr. Anthony busied himself with dragging the coffee table close to the couch and began setting up his equipment.

Hutch, grateful for the chance to get away from where the doctor was working, went back into the bathroom and pulled down a fresh washcloth and a relatively clean towel. He wondered why the doc had asked for a sheet, but he went back into his room and pulled the blanket off his bed. When he returned to the main room, the doctor was quietly talking to Starsky who was lying silently. Hutch could't tell if Starsky comprehended what the doctor told him, but he was not fighting him.

"Here's the st-stuff you asked for." The slight stutter betrayed Hutch's nervousness.

"Ok, first I want you to help me get your friend covered with the blanket." The doctor helped him roll Starsky on his side, and tucked the blanket underneath him. He then brought the blanket around Starsky and, leaving only his right arm free, he tucked the blanket in firmly around his body. He indicated where Hutch was to sit near Starsky's hips and told him to talk softly to his friend. Hutch, grateful for the chance to focus on something other than what was going on, complied. Meanwhile, the doctor unplugged and dragged his reading lamp closer to the couch. Hutch decided to ignore what the doc was doing for the moment, although, he was curious.

"Hey buddy, you're going to be up and about soon. Want to go knock off some banks in Bolivia with me?"

Starsky gave the faintest of smiles, but did not open his eyes. Hutch continued talking about inconsequential things, until the doctor indicated that he was ready. _Crap_. Hutch did not like this at all. His heartbeat picked up and he looked at the doctor to see what he needed to do.

Dr. Anthony spoke to Hutch in a calm and confident voice. He explained that he would take care of starting the IV, Hutch's only role was to keep Starsky calm, and hold him down, if necessary.

It was not a fun procedure. Starsky reacted in fear immediately when Dr. Anthony put the tourniquet around his right arm.

"Hey, hey, it's ok. This is a doctor. He is going to help you feel better."

That may have been the wrong words, for Starsky started struggling harder. He couldn't go far though, for the blanket made it difficult for him to move. Hutch began to see the wisdom in the good doctors actions.

"Starsky. No drugs, only fluids. I'm here to help you. I will not hurt you." Dr Anthony's voice seemed to calm Starsky some.

"You will feel a little prick, and then some tape. I am going to give you some water in your veins. It will make you feel a lot better. Here we go."

The words just made Hutch more nervous, but it seemed to help Starsky. He didn't even wince when the needle went in. The doctor drew off some blood, and then placed the primed IV tubing in the catheter.

"Hand me that tape." Was all that he said, as he confidently secured the IV to Starsky's arm.

Hutch felt like he was going to faint.

"You ok?" The doctor asked. It took Hutch a second to realize the doctor was talking to him.

"Yeah, uh, yeah."

"You going to pass out on me?"

"Um, I don't think so."

"You wouldn't be the first."

"Really?"

"No, once I had to place 10 stitches in a guys scalp because he knocked his head on his wife's high heels on the way down. She was pregnant. Twins they thought. Turned out to be triplets. I'd faint too."

Hutch managed a laugh, and his color began to return to his face. Satisfied he wasn't going to be treating two patients, the doctor turned his attention to the rapidly infusing fluids – hanging from his reading lamp! Hutch stifled a laugh.

"Doc?"

"Yes."

"You said Starsky wasn't an addict. What did you mean?" This was the first time Hutch had heard anything like this. For the longest time he was convinced he was just like the junkies he pulled in off the streets. It hurt for him to look at them, for in each one's eyes he could see himself. He no longer felt the call of the drug, but he could still remember the intense rush of euphoria he had when Forest's group had shot him up.

Dr. Anthony finished what he was doing, and sat down on the coffee table across from Hutch. "There is a huge difference between addiction and being an addict."

"I don't follow."

"Bear with me. We use some strong drugs with people to combat the pain they might have, say from cancer, or a bad break or such. They need the medication to function. Just like someone with high blood pressure needs regular medication to help get it back and keep it at normal. They need the medication to treat the illness. It is not an addition.

"After some time, say as a broken leg heals, they may no longer need the stronger pain medications. However, we have to take them off of the pain medicine slowly, or they will go through withdraw symptoms. Their body is 'addicted' as people like to say, but really, their body has just formed a tolerance for the medication. Physical addiction or tolerance is much different from psychological addition. Psychological addiction is when a person mentally wants the side effects of the medication, not necessarily to treat a physical symptom.

"Heroin is just an unrefined type of morphine and the body reacts quickly to its effects. When you go through withdraw, your body is reacting to the lack of the drug. It can be hard because mentally you do not want to experience the pain. But a truly addicted person craves the effects of the drug not only for the pain, but usually for an emotional reason as well. They might not be experiencing any physical symptoms, but when stress or something difficult comes up, they will use the drug as a means of escape – a way to avoid dealing with the true problem. Generally, it just makes the problem worse, not better. But they think they feel better, and the side effects of the drug makes them able to ignore how their actions are making things worse. Make sense?"

Hutch heaved a huge sigh. It was complicated, but it did make sense. Starsky did not choose this - it was forced on him. Just asForest hadforced it on him all those years ago. He had been addicted, but he was not an addict. He was strong enough to face his problems head on without the escapism of drugs. No, he was not an addict. Neither was Starsky. Now if he could just get Starsky through the withdraw of the next forty eight hours…


	12. Chapter 12

This is a slow chapter, but I promise, things will be picking up soon!

**Chapter 12**

Dr. Anthony had ended up putting four liters of fluid in Starsky. They had tried to get him to take some coffee, but Starsky had begun retching before the mug reached his lips.

Dr. Anthony had taken Hutch aside and informed him that he wanted to give Starsky a medication that would help with the nausea and also help him to sleep.

"It's somewhat new, but it would help. There is a slight risk though of seizures."

"Seizures!"

"Yes. It is a rare complication. I've never seen it. I've taken a blood sample that I can run an analysis on for the drugs he was given. Do you want me to proceed with that?"

"Will it be in his name?"

"Yes. I can't get around that. However, I have some friends in the lab. There is a strong possibility that I can make sure the information is not recorded in the log. Chits are getting lost all the time. This being a Sunday will make it easier. But there are no guarantees. I won't be able to walk it through myself."

Hutch considered this for a moment. "Then no. Let's hold off."

"Understood. I'll hold onto the sample for a couple of days, in case you change your mind. If I give your friend this medication, you still will need to keep an eye on him. He might sleep four hours or fourteen. The important thing now is to keep the fluids coming. Water, juice, milk, coffee…I've gotten you though the worst of this I think. I've got patients back at the hospital that I need to see. If you don't think you can handle this, then please, let's bring him into the hospital."

Hutch paused, thinking. He was exhausted, but that in no way was going to keep him from helping his partner through this. If the doc gave Starsky something to help him sleep, he could put Starsky in his bed, move the couch across the doorway, and maybe grab some sleep too.

"I'll take care of him. How will you give Starsky the medication?"

"Through the IV. I'll take it out after that."

"Ok." Hutch again ran his hand through his hair, hoping he was making the right decision. He fought a sense of panic when he saw the doctor pushing a needle into the IV tubing. Even though the doc had told him this is what he was going to do, it still made him nervous.

Dr. Anthony took out the IV and cleaned up the used bottles. Grabbing up the box, he paused once more.

"You going to be ok?" Hutch nodded an affirmative. "You have someone who can help you?" Hutch paused, and the doctor added, "I will be able to check in with you again sometime tomorrow. If there are any problems contact my service. They know where to find me at all times. I still would like to keep a closer eye on him at the hospital, but I understand your concerns as well." Hutch nodded, and opened the door.

"Thanks, doc. For everything."

"I'm glad I could help." With that Dr. Anthony was gone and Hutch was on his own.

He closed the door, and with a great sigh, he headed over to the couch. Starsky was watching him. He had been uncharacteristically silent. Hutch put on his best smile.

"How ya doing?"

"Where are we?"

"My place. Do you remember anything that happened?"

"Things are fuzzy. What I do remember, I don't think I want to."

Hutch smiled again. "It's been a hell of a day…"

"You're telling me…" Starsky stared fixed on a point above Hutch's left shoulder. "So when did you add the pink elephant to your décor?"

Hutch glanced over to where Starsky was staring, seeing nothing that even remotely resembled a pink elephant.

"Um, buddy." He began.

"I know, it's not there…" Starsky shook a little and wrenched his eyes back to his friend. "Is this how you felt? God, it's awful! I can feel bugs crawling up my legs."

"Lets just say I know what you are talking about." Hutch replied. "Hey, do you think you could drink something."

"Ugh. I'll try, but none of your health food crap. I get sick just thinking about it."

"It's good for you, Starsk. Help ya live to see a hundred."

"Right now, I'm not sure I want to see tomorrow. Water would be just fine." Starsky was sweating again, but the tremors were not as severe, his eyes no longer sunken.

"Water it is." The immediate concern over Starsky's survival now taken care of, Hutch began thinking about what had brought this all about. Revenge. Pure and simple. Some people were so screwed up. Rob was the one who attacked him, doped him up and was on his way to kill him when Hutch managed to escape. And yet Rob felt like he was the one wronged. And Starsky was the one who paid the price. He had been right. By shooting up Starsky, he had found the perfect way to hurt Hutch And who was this Julie Bouldin? What was her role in all of this? Hutch fought his own anger and rage as he thought through all that had happened.

Hutch walked back over to his friend. "Water, straight up."

Starsky barely graced him with a glance. He took the water and sipped slowly, testing his stomach to see if it would hold. He managed about half the glass before he handed it back and closed his eyes.

"You think you could sleep?" Hutch asked.

"No." Starsky replied, rather rudely. Thinking about it, he revised his answer, "Yeah. I don't know. Why?"

Letting the attitude run off his back Hutch replied. "Let's get you in bed. The sleep will help."

"Whatever. I don't think anything will help. My skin is crawlin' and I feel like my blood is on fire." Starsky moved agitatedly on the couch.

"I know." Hutch replied.

"How the hell do you know! And why do you have to talk so loudly?" Starsky stood, swaying a little.

Mood swings, Hutch thought silently. I know 'em well. "Get in the bed Starsk. We'll talk later."

Muttering, Starsky did as he was directed. Surprisingly, he closed his eyes and looked to fall asleep immediately. Hutch was immensely relieved. Every minute Starsky slept was one step closer to seeing the drugs out of his system. Hutch stood in the room, listening to the rapid breathing and waiting. For what, he did not know. But when nothing happened, he finally went out to the living room and moved the couch. He dosed off and on, never fully sleeping while he stood watch over his partner.


	13. Chapter 13

What can I say? The sun is shining and the flowers are blooming and I have been outdoors indulging my tired, over wintered body with the warmth of the soil. Now that I have some good flowers growing, it is time to address the boys.

**Chapter 13**

THEREare few things in life more miserable than not being able to get a full night sleep. Two nights in a row of no sleep, plus not being able to take a shower qualifies as true misery. True, unadulterated, utter misery. Hutch could just imagine what Starsky felt like.

Starsky had awakened a couple times through the night, sometimes fighting unseen ghosts (or maybe pink elephants), and another time just fighting Hutch when he came across the couch that blocked the doorway. Hutch had a hard time talking him down, and he did not want to hurt him. Somewhere inside, Starsky felt the same way, but he fought harder than Hutch did.

Come morning, Starsky had finally settled down into a less restless sleep. Hutch took the time to call Dobey to find out the progress on finding the Bouldin girl and to see how Michele was faring. He was less than thrilled to find out that even though they had scoured the hills looking for Julie, the officers searching came up empty handed. She simply vanished. Michele had been delivered to the safe house, but had "freaked out" with the officers there and had been taken to the hospital instead. She was admitted and it was discovered that she had required surgery for the injuries she sustained while in Rob's clutches. Dobey related that after she recovered, she was scheduled to participate in an experimental rape recovery program.

"Also, I need for you to come in and sign the reports sometime soon. How's your partner getting along?"

"Recovering. He is going to need at least 48 hours just to get his bearings back. The doctor you referred me to came over last night and helped Starsky out." Curious as to how Dobey knew Dr. Anthony he added, "He seemed like a good guy, what do you think of him?"

"I wouldn't have referred you to him if I didn't think he was a decent physician!" Dobey's tone almost, but not quite made bellowing decibels. He continued in a softer tone, "You need some help? I could ask Edith to bring you some supplies, maybe spell you long enough to come in and sign these reports. I'd come, but I am up to my eyeballs here."

_With another two of my detectives down_. Hutch mentally added. He would have liked Edith's help, but he did not know how Starsky would react when he awoke, and since his last interaction got a little physical, he did not want to leave Edith dealing with Starsky alone, even if for the few minutes it would take to get a shower. But not wanting to offend his superior he said, "Cap, we're fine for the moment. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Humph. Ok." Switching the conversation, "Check in from time to time. If I hear anything on the Bouldin girl I'll let you know. If you hear anything you let me know. UNDERSTOOD?"

Hutch understood. Hanging up the phone, he turned to face his now awake partner who was standing in the doorway looking at the couch.

"How ya doing, Starsk?" Starsky looked up from his contemplations, a wry smile crossing his face.

"Now I understand your crack about there being such thing as a mercy killing." Hutch thought a second and then snorted in response to the backdoor joke.

"Yeah? Well, what comes around goes around, buddy. You think you can take a shower?" Hutch sincerely hoped the answer was yes. They both were rather ripe, and Starsky's was rather repulsive. He wondered how the good doctor could stand the stench last night. Forget the wash. The clothes needed to be burned. Hutch was not sure about the jackets, but to be salvaged, they definitely needed professional help.

"I think I can shower, but…"

"But?"

Starsky paused for a moment, thinking about something, and then replied, "Never mind. It's nothing."

"There are some extra towels…"

"I know! You wanna move the couch, or shall I take a running jump?"

He is in an ugly mood…Hutch thought as he walked over and pushed the couch over enough to clear a pathway out.

"There is coffee…"

That got Starsky's attention. "There is?"

With a slight smile Hutch turned and got a mug from the kitchen. "Fresh, hot and a hell of a lot better than the crap down at the station." He said while pouring a fresh cup and handing the cup to his partner.

"I'd take anything right about now…ooohhh, that's good!"

"You up to eating?"

"Ummm, got any pizza?"

"I can order in," Hutch looked at the clock, "in about 3 more hours. How about scrambled eggs?"

Starsky made an unhappy face. "I think I will go take a shower." Starsky slowly and cautiously walked off with the steaming coffee in both hands, his gait still a bit wobbly. Recovery was underway.

JULIE combated the boredom of her forced confinement by exercising and planning her revenge. She knew patience would be necessary for it to be as sweet as she intended. As she methodically worked and strengthened her muscles in the dank, silent cave, mentally, she worked on each and every detail. Rob had always been the one to devise a plan; Julie would be the one to tweak it. Now she was the one doing both the planning and the executing. She wasn't sure she liked it. She missed Rob terribly. She pushed herself harder, pumping the weights in her hands like they were feathers, trying hard to forget the ache in her heart. It was horrible having to walk away from him without saying goodbye, but some things were more important. Survival and revenge were definitely more important than goodbyes.

In order for her to get close enough, she would need to change how she looked and it needed to go beyond her hair color and style. Her arms were rock hard and her legs shapely. An addition of ten or fifteen pounds should change her figure some, but not affect her strength. She was by nature average and thin, pale with dark hair. She was lucky her eyes were your simple average bluish green. Nothing very spectacular. Depending on what she wore they could be more blue or more green. Her basic black was out. No, from now on she would wear colors to soften her and change her figure. She would need to add a little something in the chest area to build it up, and wear flats to de-emphasis her height. She had been wearing 3-inch heels when the dynamic duo had showed up to take her to the cabin. A change in height would do wonders in the non-recognition department. She hated flats though. The sex appeal of flats was right up there with muumuus.

Early on, she had learned how to blend in with the people around her when she wanted to and to stand out in the crowd when the need arose. She needed those skills in order to survive and prosper in the underworld of drugs and money. She loved the challenges of refining the skills needed to exist in that seedy world, but she thrived on the chase of the prey that Rob had introduced her to. She was alive and powerful during those times. She felt like a conduit to thousands of volts of energy, the feelings were so intense, so totally consuming when they finally brought down their target. That is how she had felt up until her darling little sister had betrayed her. Julie had been on top of the world, flying and then, suddenly shattered.

Julie focused on the details and forgot the emotions. Rob was gone, and now she would be combining the skills of both worlds on her own to define her own strategy. Sweat gathered on her brow and spilled down her back as she pushed herself harder in her workout. A hard smile and feral eyes reflected her deep passion. Her plan was taking shape, and though it would take awhile to put together, it was going to be well worth the effort.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Starsky took a long time in the shower. When he finally emerged, he still looked scruffy with four days of beard growth, but he smelled a whole lot better.

"How ya feeling?"

"Like I went fourteen rounds with a gorilla. The gorilla won…"

"Mind if I take a shower?"

"Mind if it's cold?"

"Trust me Starsk, you're not my type."

"Neither are you, or that broad that shot me up. God, this stuff is awful! My skin is still crawling and I'm never sure of what I'm seeing."

"What do you mean, what you're seeing?" Hutch had gone through hell with his withdraw, but hallucinations had not been part of it. He wondered if his friend had gotten more drugs than he thought.

"Never mind. It's nothing."

"No, tell me."

"I don't want to!"

Hutch paused, looked away from his friend and swallowed. _Out with it_. He looked at his partner again. "Starsk, do you think you're hallucinating?" His voice even and calm.

Starsky looked down at his hands, which were shaking and then looked up again. Hutch thought he looked frightened. Starsky's eyes followed something up to the ceiling, and then he looked at Hutch again.

"Oh, yeah." He walked over the displaced couch and ran his hand across the cushion before sitting down. "I can't trust anything my body is telling me." He sat down gingerly, as if the couch might not actually be there.

"Just what is your body telling you, Starsk?" Hutch came over and knelt down in front of Starsky, so that he could be easily seen and not mistaken for a disembodied voice.

"Aw, jez Hutch! There are ants crawling around inside my blood. It took everything I had not to take the razor and cut them out." _Good LORD! _Hutch's eyes got big. Starsky deliberately looked elsewhere as he went on. "The ceiling is alive with snakes. One just dropped behind you."

Hutch had to fight the urge to jump up and look behind him. He did casually glance behind him though, just to verify.

"Nothing there?" Starsky asked in a tired voice.

"Nope."

"It's a fight. On one level I know it's not real, and on another I am terrified it is real. When I woke up, Terry was sitting on the bed looking at me. I thought she was here. I was so relieved. I wanted to talk to her, hold her close. When I went to touch her she became this snake. I'm tripping Hutch! I have no control over it!" The anxiety level just went through the roof.

"Hey, hey!" Hutch laid a light hand on Starsky's knee for reassurance. "It's going to be ok! Give it some time. We'll beat this thing Gordo! Just give it some time."

Starsky took a deep breath and sighed, looking around him. "How long has it been? A day? Two? Hutch, I can't deal with this. I am going out of my mind!" He rubbed his hands over his arms as if he were cold.

"Would you believe me if I told you I know what your talking about? It will get better. You have about 24 hours under your belt. We just have to get you through the next couple of days, and you'll be back to normal, whatever that is." He tried to laugh. Starsky's eyes drifted up to the ceiling again. Hutch lost and gave into the urge to look up too. "Another one drop?"

Starsky continued staring at the ceiling.

"It's alive with 'em." he whispered.

"They are not there you know."

"You sure? Maybe you're the one seeing things. Ever think about that?" Starsky's stomach rumbled. "I hear snakes taste like chicken."

"Yeah? Well then what do hallucinations taste like?" He was thankful his friend was finally hungry. Even if the drugs weren't out of his system, hunger had to indicate that he was getting back to normal. Hutch asked, "You want some pancakes?"

All of a sudden, Starsky burst out laughing.

"What!"

"Remember Bennie, the schitzo?" Starsky said.

"Yeah. What about him?"

"Pancakes?" Starsk's eyebrows went up and he leaned over, looking Hutch in the eye, trying to will him into remembering.

"Oh, yeah!" All of a sudden Hutch joined his friend in a round of laughter.

They had worked once with a very pleasant schizophrenic who was happy to tell them about his hallucinations one quiet night. They had all laughed at the story he told of a nursing student who had made the mistake of standing behind him and talking to him, urging him to eat or they would be late. She later related that she could not understand why he never looked up when she talked to him. They figured it out in a counseling session where he swore that his medicine was not working and he was suffering a setback because he was hearing voices telling him to hurry up and eat his pancakes.

It felt good to laugh. Starsky had to pull on everything he had to survive. The crap in his system might be calling to him for more, but he was going to fight it with everything he had. He was not an addict. He was not going to let this drug win the struggle for his mind. For who he was, what he was. Hutch had beaten this thing, and by God, he would too. Minute by torturous minute. He looked up at the ceiling again. Nothing. He was so afraid. He wrapped his arms around himself and looked at his friend. Hutch's face softened and he said with firm determination, "We'll beat this thing Starsk. You can do it. I'll help you." It was amazing sometimes how his friend could say exactly what Starsky was thinking.

"Yeah." He replied and looked down again. A rat ran under the couch. He sighed and said, "How about some pancakes?"

_later_

"WHAT do ya mean, she disappeared?"

"Just that. Dobey told me that Julie Bouldin shot up the officers escorting her down, she escaped and has not been found."

"Of all the stupid, brainless things…"

"Yes, I said that all the way here while I was fighting you."

The kitchen was a mess, with plates piled up in the sink. Starsky had folded up on the couch after eating and was concentrating trying to make the hallucinations do what he wanted them to do. They came in waves and were driving him nuts. He tried focusing on something else and was finding that concentrating on the escape of the lunatic girl was giving him some mild success.

"So what now?"

"Dobey has given us a few days off to recover."

"Great, I hope this does not count as personal time off, because this is not how I had my weekend planned."

"Yeah, my date was a hell of a lot cuter than you."

"Any girl is cuter than you, blondie. I wonder what Crissy is doing?"

"Probably found herself a burrito buddy and is headed for Mexico."

"Aw man, I could go for some burritos too. It was going to be a great date." Another sigh. "I may be seeing things, but you know what?"

"What? "

"There ain't nothin' wrong with my nose. You stink! Go take a shower!"

Hutch laughed. A shower sounded really good right now. Starsky still looked anxious though.

"Ok, but what are you going to do?"

"TV?" he wiggled his eyebrows.

Hutch laughed again and stood up to turn it on. One day somebody should come up with a way to turn on the TV without having to get up to do it! He found a mid-morning movie for his partner and went in to take a shower. Hutch paused when he saw the razor on the sink. _Cut them out?_ He'd seen it happen before. He thought about what would be the best way to wash up. He oh so wanted a long hot shower, but if Starsky should decide to bolt or start fighting something that was not there…he resigned himself to a change of clothes and scrubbing in the sink. He was glad he did when he heard Starsky get up and head for the front door. He ran after him and caught him in the hallway.

Starsky was walking purposefully for the outer door. He jumped a little when he felt Hutch's arm on his shoulder and tried to move away from his firm grasp.

"Where you going?"

"Out. I can't take it anymore."

"Not alone you're not."

"I'm gonna get her, Hutch! I want to find her and shoot her up the way she did me!"

"Not now you're not."

Starsky shook off his friends arm on his shoulder and took a few paces. His partner followed. "I can't just lay low. You don't understand…I can't do this!" Starsky's eyes were frantic and were pleading for understanding. The anxiety and the way the room felt like it was closing in on him were just getting to be too much. Thankfully he was with the right person, and his pleas fell on sympathetic ears.

"Come on. I'll get a shirt and some shoes and we'll go for a walk. You can do this. I'll help you through." Hutch again took Starsky's shoulders and looked him in the eye. "I'll help you." he said again. Starsky's anxious look eased and he relented to his partners urging and returned to the apartment.

The long walk helped, and the hallucinations lessened. The two of them found themselves outside more than inside after that first walk. It helped a great deal. Hutch was thankful that there was no one to hide from, no one out to kill him like Forest had been with Hutch. The goon Rob was dead, and nobody had heard from Julie Bouldin. She never returned to her home. Gradually life got back to normal. Dobey allowed them to come back to work, but on a limited basis. He didn't like what he saw at first, but figured a light schedule would help the two work out the kinks. Starsky found that he reacted strangely to sounds for about a week. His skin actually ached when he heard a loud sound or sometimes just when people talked. It took awhile, but gradually that too faded, and the whole ordeal receded into the past.


	15. Chapter 15

I hope this suffices for the next few days. I am off on an adventure! Enjoy and I will be posting more next week.

By the way, I think I am becoming a feedback junkie…thanks everyone!

**Chapter 15**

ABOUT a month later they were out hitting the streets again. The rhythm returned to their partnership and life returned to relative normality, whatever that was. Crissy had given Starsky the "you are too unreliable" line and moved on. Abby had decided to visit her family back east, so the guys were on their own again these days. They met at Huggy's for burgers and fries after a particularly light day. It was nice change of pace. Huggy spared them a brief greeting before he was off attending to the trade. He was doing a brisk business, and the place was packed.

"I'm telling ya, Hutch, real estate is the way to go!"

"It may be the way to go, but your ideas of a good investment leave a lot to be desired."

"Aw, come on. So the last home I picked out needed a little more work than I originally thought, but it was a steal! With a little extra elbow grease, it could have brought back a bundle."

"Starsk, I'm not going to discuss that travesty with you anymore! It took my back a month to heal." Changing the subject, Hutch added, "What are you going to have to eat?"

Miffed, Starsky replied, "Oh gee, I don't know. How about the HOUSE salad?"

Hutch rolled his eyes and went over to the bar to get two beers while his partner picked out a table in the crowded room. He had been standing there for just a moment when he heard a "Hi!" from a soft voice on his right. Hutch looked into the most beautiful blue eyes he had seen in quite awhile. Blonde hair, soft blue sweater and jeans rounded out the picture. And they were rounded in just the right spots. Hutch felt an instant attraction to the girl standing beside him.

"Hi yourself." He motioned for two beers and then asked her what she was having.

"Just a coke. I'm waiting for my friends to show." She had a lovely voice, low and purring.

Hutch answered, "They aren't here yet?" How could anyone leave this beauty waiting?

"No, but I'm expecting them any time now."

Hutch looked up as Diane deposited the two beers and the girl's coke unceremoniously in front of him. He tossed a bill on the counter and turned to talk to his new friend. Hutch looked at "the girl" a little closer. Correction: she was no girl. She was definitely all woman. He felt himself melt a little when she met his gaze.

"Thank you for the coke." She said. Her eyes lit her whole face as she graced him with a smile and turned to go. It was confident and beautiful.

"Hey, wait! Would you like to join me while you wait for your friends?" Hutch took a step in her direction

She looked at him for a moment and said, "That would be nice, but I think my friends just came in. Maybe some other time?" She headed away. As an afterthought, she turned and asked, "Do you come here often?"

Loath to let an opportunity pass him by, Hutch answered, "Yeah, I'm here a couple times a week." Then and there he made up his mind that he would be too. "I've never seen you here before."

"That's because I'm new in town. Hey, I've got to go. Maybe I'll see you around?" She was lovely, even in her goodbyes.

"I hope so." Hutch watched her go over to a group of people who had walked in, but when she joined them, they left. He turned to where Starsky was waving from a table. "I hope so," he repeated.

"Who's the beauty?" Starsky said as he took his beer.

"Humm?" He looked over at the now empty doorway.

"The girl, idiot. What's her name?"

"I didn't get it." Hutch mumbled into his beer.

"WHAT! Jez Hutch. You meet a pretty girl and don't even get a name? No wonder you are dining with the likes of me tonight."

"Yeah Starsk." Hutch was a bit distracted. Starsky had done his best to return to "normal", but what is normal when someone takes you against your will and pollutes your body with chemicals? It scared the living daylights out of Hutch when it had happened to him. He had toyed with the natural living lifestyle before Forest and friends, but afterwards he wanted control back. No more crap in his body. He needed every advantage he could get to keep the edge. He loved the adrenaline rush, the success of making someone's life just that much safer by getting the criminals off the streets. But it has its price. And it was taking its toll.

Hutch thought again of the lovely woman who had just left the bar. Someday, maybe, just maybe, he would lead a normal life. Go to work; come home at a decent hour to dinner and kids, no threats to life and limb.

"You ever wonder what it would be like, Starsk, to come home at a decent hour?" Hutch said, thinking out loud. Sometimes it could lead to a pretty good conversation.

"Yeah." Starsky replied. He turned around and kicked his feet up in the empty chair beside him. "Maybe I could get a dog…"

"A dog? You never struck me as the dog sort of guy. What kind of dog would you want?"

"Depends. I wouldn't want one that is high maintenance that's for sure. Maybe a mutt with lots of energy. What is the dog sort of guy anyways?"

"Not you and the lifestyle you're living. You'd be a stranger to the poor thing." Hutch decided to change the subject back to what he was thinking about originally. "Ever think about having a wife and kids?"

Starsky looked at Hutch like he had horns for ears. "Yes. No. I guess I kind of gave up on it after Terri, after she…" he couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Me too, after Gillian…" Tragedy seemed to follow the two and the women they allowed themselves to love. It served to make them more leery about a serious relationship.

The two men studied their beers for a moment. "I don't think I could get married and continue in this line of work." Hutch said.

"You want to quit?" Starsky asked.

"NO! No, I don't. Not yet anyways. It's just, think about it. Is it natural to live like this?"

"Well, yes. There are plenty of men who live the bachelor life until their thirties or forties and then get married."

"Yeah, but do you want to have your first kid when you are 40?" Hutch asked. He lowered his voice and continued. "Starsk, just last month you were shot up with those synthetic drugs. They never did figure out exactly what they were when you decided to have the blood tested. How long did it take for you to get over it? Have you thought about what it would do to your wife if that happened or, God forbid, your kids?" Hutch ran his hand through his hair. "Dobey's been married how long? Do you think he decided to leave the streets before or after he met Edith?"

"I think it was after Elmo Jackson." Starsky said in a low tone, referring to Captain Dobey's partner who had been killed and left hanging on a meat hook. Given the gravity of the discussion, he kicked his feet off of the chair and turned to give Hutch his full attention.

"I think you are right. I don't know what I would do..." Hutch said. _If that were you _remained unspoken, but understood.

"Me neither." Starsky said. "But we've both been there before. It's a part of the job. It comes with the territory. I don't think we'd still be at it if we weren't so damn good at the job. But then again, we could take up robbing banks in Bolivia if you want to quit this line of work. I don't think the fringe benefits are any good though." Starsky added with some levity.

Hutch just laughed and downed his beer.

"You want another?" Starsky asked as he tossed back the last of his drink.

Hutch looked at his now empty glass. "Sure."

Starsky got up and went to the counter since no one had visited his table yet. He ordered another round of beer and also a burger with the works and fries for himself. He left Hutch to his own devices for now, figuring Hutch could order when somebody brought his meal to the table. That way, Starsky would not get stuck with the bill or food Hutch would refuse to eat since it wasn't tofu or whatever.

He scanned the bar as he walked back with the beers. He noticed a man seated in the corner table that looked familiar. Carefully he masked his face not to let any signs of recognition cross his features. When he returned to the table, he put the beer down and kicked his legs up again. He was facing partially away from the man when he looked at Hutch.

"Something wrong?"

"You could say that, don't let on though." Starsky said.

Hutch readjusted his face to hide what he knew was coming.

"Where?"

"One o'clock. Corner table."

"Where? Ohhh…" Hutch smiled like he had been told a good joke and took a quick drink of his beer to cover his glance at the table. There sat none other than Will Carter, wanted for pimping, distributing and assault with intent. The last girl he beat up was willing to press charges when she finally woke up. They had been looking for him for the last three months. He seemed intent in his conversations with his tablemate who Hutch could not identify other than he was a male, thin, and balding.

"You interested in a game of pool?"

"Right behind ya." Starsky unzipped his jacket to have better access to his weapon.

Hutch got up and dug into his pocket as if to get a couple of coins. He too unzipped his jacket as he went to get a stick. This placed them two tables away from their target.

"You set them up, and I'll break."

"Sure."

Hutch made a careless break, trying to set Starsky up for the pay play.

"Ha, prepare to pay, buddy!" Starsky said as he lined up on the cue ball, aiming straight for the table of their quarry. He hit the ball low and hard, causing it to jump up and off of the table.

"With shots like that, I think you are going to be the one paying pal!" Hutch casually walked over to Carter's table. "Hey man, sorry about that." He bent down to pick up the ball and unobtrusively pulled his ID while he was down there. "Will Carter? Police. You are under arrest." He said smoothly as he stood up.

Carter jumped up and made to run, but found himself running straight into Starsky, who smiled and held up his badge. Starsky grabbed his arm, maneuvering it up and behind his back while he quickly escorted him out the door, wanting to keep any scene to a minimum. Once outside, he secured the handcuffs. He was grateful for not needing the gun. He hated using it in a public place.

Starsky waited knowing that Hutch was "speaking" with the other man at the table. He knew anyone Carter was talking to was either wanted, or would be. Hutch would let the guy know that a: he was no longer anonymous, and b: he needed to take his business elsewhere because if he showed his face in their district, they would be all over him. If Hutch were lucky, he would get a name. No reason why Starsky couldn't try. He read Will Carter his rights and then added, "Who was the guy you were dining with?"

"My mother."

"Well, that explains a lot." Knowing he was not going to be getting much more out of his sullen prisoner, Starsky guided him towards his car and assisted him into the back seat with a "Get in and shut up." He called in the arrest, and then stood by the door on the driver's side while waiting for his partner and the transport team that would take the prisoner downtown to book him. It was nice when an arrest went this smoothly. It didn't happen that often.

Darn. He was really hungry! He felt just a little woozy too. He felt the all too familiar fear come over him. Starsky took a deep breath and held it, hoping to God he would not start seeing things again. It hadn't happened to him for over a week now, and the flashbacks were not as strong as they had been originally. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to focus on the chatter from the radio. It started to melt as he looked at it though, so he looked up at the door to Huggy's place. The door opened and out came his partner.

"Anything?" Hutch asked as he made his way towards the car.

"Carter says you were talking with his mother."

"Yeah? I could see the resemblance. Both are freaks."

Starsky snorted then asked, "My food ready?"

"I sent it back."

"You did! Why!"

"Well, we've got to book 'em."

"Not until I eat. I've called transport. We can file the reports later." Starsky did not want to drive until he had something, anything, in his stomach.

"You know we are supposed to book him when we make the arrest, Starsk."

"I'm eating. You deal with it." With that, Starsky tossed his partner his keys and walked away leaving Hutch wondering what the hell was going on…

JULIE made the trade and got the drugs she needed for later on. What a fortuitous meeting! He had no idea who he was talking to. She knew the changes she had worked on her appearance had made a difference, but she had seen the way Hutchinson was looking at her, and it gave her a new angle on her plan of attack. The idea made her tingle with anticipation.

First she had to take care of her sister…


	16. Chapter 16

I had a great vaction. Thanks for waiting!

**Chapter 16**

Starsky sat outside Hutch's apartment waiting for him to come out. Normally it was no big deal, but Starsky found he was nervous and was worried about the incident last night. He got some food and felt better after eating, and Hutch had ensured that the arrest was filed correctly. All that was in the past, but now he was debating on whether or not he should discuss the "melting radio" incident with his partner. He felt fine for the most part, but those little moments concerned him. What if it happened during a chase? While he was driving? He needed his body in good form. He wondered for the umpteenth time just how long the drugs would be in his system.

He remembered that it took Hutch a long time to recover after his encounter with Forest's goons. But he had been beaten senseless before he had been given the drugs. The body could only take so much and it needed time to heal.

_But I was not beaten to a pulp. It was only the drugs. Why is it still coming back?_ His jaw had hurt for a good while though, so he must have taken a punch at some point. He couldn't remember when it happened though, and he really did not care.

He wondered how Hutch felt a month out. He knew that at this point his partner had still been fighting cravings, and suspected that is why Hutch went on his health food stint. Too bad he never really had gotten over it…

The passenger door opened and Hutch slid into the car. He was wearing tan pants and a plaid shirt. The leather of his well worn tan jacket creaked as it met the leather of the seat.

"Mornin'," He said around a mouthful of toast.

"Good morning," Starsky replied.

"Feeling any better?"

Starsky gave a little sigh and started up the car. "Yeah."

Hutch looked out the window while finishing up his breakfast. It was a nice day. The sky was blue with puffy clouds that had an orangish tint that was becoming more and more common these days. High was supposed to be in the low 60's and he liked that.  
"You want to tell me about what's going on?"

"Not really, but I guess I should." Starsky sighed again and looked over his shoulder before passing a slow moving white Buick with a little old lady in it. He thought about what he would say.

"Ok. Shoot."

Starsky decided the best way to start would be a search for information. "How were you feeling at this stage?"

Hutch didn't answer right away. He really did not like thinking about that time, but he knew his experiences might help his friend. He continued to look out the window.

"I was angry. I still wanted the stuff, but I didn't."

"Did you have flashbacks?" Hutch turned to look at his friend. He thought Starsky looked tense.

"Flashbacks?"

"Yeah." Starsky stared straight ahead, avoiding eye contact.

Hutch thought for a moment, looked down and fiddled with the napkin that he had carried his toast out on. "I thought of them more as cravings, though at a month, they were not nearly as strong as they had been. Why? Are you having flashbacks?"

"I think so."

Hutch was concerned with this information. "How?" he asked in a calm voice.

Starsky drummed his fingers on the wheel as he drove. "Well," he didn't quite know how to say it. "It's really not that bad."

"But?"

"Ok. Like last night, while I was outside waiting, I saw the radio melt. Sometimes the room will start to spin."

"Do you need for me to drive?"

"What? And get us killed? No."

"You're never going to forgive me for the dune buggy, are you?

"Nope." Starsky laughed. Getting back on subject he added, "Anyways, I've eaten."

"Eating helps?"

"Yeah."

"So that's why last night…"

"Yeah. It doesn't last long."

Hutch looked out the window again and thought about what was going on. "Anything else? Cravings or that sort of thing?"

"Nope. Only this intense desire to find and beat the crap out of Julie. I never thought I would say that about a girl, but she is no girl. She's a monster."

The radio came to life_. "Zebra-3, zebra-3._"

Hutch picked up and answered.

_"Patch through from Captain Dobey._"

"Go ahead."

"_Hutchinson, I want you and Starsky to go by Mercy Hospital."  
_  
"Why all the way out there?"

"_It's about that girl involved in last month's incident - Michele. She was found this morning in an alley. The report I received is that she had been beaten and drugged and left for dead. The hospital staff can fill you in on the details."  
_  
Starsky looked over at his partner, dread in his face.

"Ten-four Captain. We're on it." He pulled out the mars light as Starsky turned around and accelerated for the trip across town.

_later_

"SHE has stopped breathing a couple of times. I had to put her on a ventilator. Her legs were broken, I guess to keep her from running, and she also sustained a head injury, which has me concerned. She has various bruises across her body, as if she was whipped with something, and finally she was overdosed with barbiturates. She was lucky, she was found soon after she was dumped. The ambulance crew had a hell of a time keeping her breathing on the way here."

"When will she wake up? Do you know?"

"I do not anticipate she will be on the ventilator much longer. We are trying to flush some of the barbiturates out of her system, but it will still take some time for that amount to be fully cleared. The head injury is what is keeping me from giving you a good timetable. I doubt she will be coherent within the next 24 hours. However, we can contact you when she does wake up."

"I would appreciate that, doctor." Hutch replied professionally. "Can you tell me where she was found?" he asked as he wrote out their contact information and gave it to him.

The doctor gave him the location noted on the paperwork left by the ambulance crew.

Starsky thanked him and added. "We will need to see Michele. Can you show us where her room is?"

The doctor walked with them to the ICU room where a nurse was busy with the IV fluids. Deep red marks encircled Michele's wrists where they had been tied. They could see the marks left by a whip across her face and arms. The doctor added that they were heavy across her back and her feet. "She was tortured, probably for about 12 hours by the looks of things, prior to being dumped."

Hutch turned and walked out the door. Starsky thanked the doctor again before following his partner out into the hallway. He found Hutch leaning on a wall, his left hand on the bridge of his nose. Hutch took a deep breath and brought his hand down.

"It was Julie."

Starsky leaned against the wall next to his partner, fighting the urge to vomit. His stomach settled quickly, but his anger only grew. "We don't know that for certain, Hutch, but it's a reasonable place to start."

Hutch rubbed his hand across his mouth. "We've underestimated her."

Starsky did not answer for a long moment. "If she is out for revenge she is going to be quite upset to know that she did not succeed. It would help if we give the papers a short statement of a body found in an alley. That should keep Michele safe. But you know, if she thinks she succeeded with her sister, she might be coming after us next."

"Yes." Hutch heaved a great sigh. "Come on, let's go update the Cap'n."

Starsky pushed off of the wall and started walking out of the hospital. Hutch fell into step beside him.


	17. Chapter 17

This is kind of an explanation chapter. You guys raised some valid questions, and I hope they are answered here…

Thanks for the feedback. It really helps!

**Chapter 17**

The next week passed with no information on the whereabouts of Julie Bouldin. She seemed to be able to pop up and disappear with ease. She was smart. Michele had been in protective custody up until two days before she was found in the alley. She had insisted that she would be all right while staying with her parents. 20/20 hindsight had proved her wrong. The news on her was not very promising. Michele had fallen into a deep coma, and was unresponsive. The doctors were very concerned about her recovery. Every day that passed painted a bleaker outlook for her. It seemed Julie had gotten her revenge after all.

Life didn't stop for the detectives just because they were searching for a lunatic who played with drugs. It would be nice if cases came one at a time and did not overlap, but the department was spread thin, and there were other cases that required police attention. Starsky and Hutch went undercover to bust a small time extortion operation that was running on the east side. It wasn't very complicated. The arrest was. The man who was doing the grunt work stood 6'5" and weighed over 300 pounds. He wasn't afraid of anyone or anything. When the detectives pulled their badges the behemoth just shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Hutch stepped in front of him to tell him to stop, and the suspect literally walked right over him! Starsky pulled his gun and his cuffs and followed the guy up the street. He felt like a terrier barking after a rottweiler. Hutch called for backup and followed his partner. Between the two of them, they convinced the guy that walking away was not the answer. Turned out the mammoth was from Russia and did not understand a word of English. When the details of the arrest came out in the squad room, the detectives found themselves the butt of a variety of jokes.

Even though Starsky had not had another one, Hutch had convinced Starsky to visit Dr. Anthony again to figure out what was up with the flashbacks. He was concerned that Starsky would become incapacitated with one of his flashbacks while he was on stakeout. The good doc was more than willing to spend some time with Starsky explaining the effects he could expect. He took some time to explain that the blood work had shown evidence of Ketalar, diacetylmorphine and a hallucinogenic of a lysergic acid diethylamide derivative. Starsky had known he had received doses of opioids and hallucinogens, but hearing the chemical names just made it that much more real. He tried to associate the chemicals with the street names he was familiar with. _Horse or heroin for the diacetylmorphine, Special K or ketamine for the Ketalar, and of course acid or LSD for the lysergic acid diethylamide._ It was the derivative part that had Starsky worried. It meant that someone had been playing with the chemical composition and the true effects were probably not entirely known. The results he discussed made Starsky cringe.

"You're lucky you did not get a dose of phencyclidine along with the others." Dr. Anthony explained.

"Phencyclidine? You mean angel dust?"

"PCP, yes. LSD is bad enough, but PCP has a much more violent hallucination with a greater tendency towards violence and aggression." He explained. "I know this is a lot, and I want to use the terms you are most familiar with, so let me know when you need a 'translation', OK?" The doctor said with a concerned smile.

Starsky seemed to trust this guy a lot more than he had any other doc, and was grateful he had been the one to help him out.

Hutch was sitting in on this information session and finally ventured a question. "So what does all of this mean to Starsky, doc? How long do you think these flashbacks are going to happen?"

"Detective Hutchinson, the truth of the matter is, I can't tell you exactly. They have been known to happen even a year out, but usually that is with long-term use of the drugs. He may never have another one. It has been over a week since the last occurrence." Turning back to Starsky he added, "The good news is that they do not last long, and they are not affecting your ability to operate. The bad news is, there is no guarantee they will never happen again. I understand some people have flashback hallucinations in relation to a trigger - a place or a sound that causes stress or a memory. I do know they will never be as severe as they were when you were first given the drugs, but they might reoccur. You will have to go on what you feel most comfortable with. Since I am not seeing you in an official capacity, do you want my opinion, or do you want me to keep it to myself?"

The doctor sat back and waited for Starsky to answer. It took him a moment before he agreed to hear the verdict. "I would be comfortable sending you back to work if that were my call. I might not want you driving until you have been flashback free for a while longer. Maybe another week or two, but again, that is up to you."

"Is there anything else that could be done to decrease the possibility of it happening again?" Hutch asked.

"Well, avoid the drugs…" Dr. Anthony smiled and laughed just a little.

"Beyond that?" Hutch smiled as well. Starsky just looked introspective.

Dr. Anthony looked at Starsky and waited until he had eye contact. "You feel better after eating?" Starsky nodded. "Then I would recommend eating small meals often. I would also recommend that you keep something in your car and maybe even carry some food with you. That should help."

"Yeah," Starsky lightened at the prospect of having to carry candy bars around.

"And probably you need to make sure you drink enough water to help flush the rest of the drugs out. That's about all I can tell you."

Starsky had visions of having to stop at every gas station to use the facilities…

"Thanks doc." He said while standing. "Hopefully, I won't be seeing you again…"

"You'll still need your annual exam, but I hope I won't be seeing you again anytime soon either." The doc said with a smile in his eyes. "However, if you need help, just call. OK?" Dr. Anthony walked the two to the door and wished them a good day. A nurse was waiting with a file for the next patient. The doc was a busy man, even this late in the afternoon.

Once outside the medical building, Starsky threw out, "Think about it. I have to carry candy with me!"

"The man said food, not candy. Now would be a great time for you to think about carrying some natural foods that aren't loaded down with sugar and crap. It'll do your body good." Hutch opened the car door and slid in.

"No way am I going to start on desiccated liver and tofu! I'd be hallucinating all the time! Yuck! Speaking of food, you want to go get something to eat?" Starsky started the car, grateful no discussion had ensued about his driving.

"Lets go over to Huggy's. We can combine business and maybe find a little pleasure."

"You're still hoping to meet up with that no name lady. I'm telling you, you were a fool for not getting her name." Hutch had been taking some time in the evenings to return to Huggy's to see if he could find the girl he had talked to, but, so far, had not had any luck.

It did not make him very happy to have his friend rubbing it in. Mainly because he was right.

"Starsk?"

"Humm?"

"Shut up and drive."

"Truth hurts, huh?" Starsky left it at that and drove.


	18. Chapter 18

The meeting you have been waiting for…

**Chapter 18**

"Hi!"

"Hi yourself! Where you been?" Hutch asked, a big smile playing over his face. _Finally, we meet again…_he thought. She looked wonderful, all soft in a pale pink cashmere sweater and jeans. His eyes drank her in. _She has some great curves._

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were looking for me."

Hutch looked a little nervous, as if he were just found peeping in a neighbor's window. "W-well," Lord, he hated it when he stuttered like that. "I was looking for you. I never got your name the last time we met. Mine is Ken. Ken Hutchinson."

"Wanda. It is very nice to see you again, Ken." _He stuttered! Damn, it was easy!_ _And he didn't have a clue_. Julie was enjoying this. One thing Rob had taught her was to take it slow, and make it perfect. Never take any detail for granted. She wouldn't be hurried this time. Oh no. She was going to string him along and then…

"This is my partner Dave Starsky." Hutch said while turning his back on his friend. Wanda gave him the briefest of glances when he said hello before turning her big blue eyes back to his partner.

Starsky, knowing when he was not wanted wandered over to the bar and sat down to talk with one of the new waitresses. He decided to wait and see what panned out with his partner. It could be an amusing evening. He watched unobtrusively as Hutch led his new lady over to a corner booth. Starsky turned around and applied himself to the task of ordering some food. He was starved. A burger and fries would do nicely.

"Hey, hey! Who's the new girl with blondie?"

"Oh, hey Hug. He met her here a while ago. Forgot to get her name and has been on the prowl for her ever since. Tonight's the cumulation of several days worth of evening stakeouts."

"Yeah, well he looks happy, with a capital H."

"He sure does."

"Speaking of, have you met my newest waitress?" A big breasted, dark haired beauty walked over to the bar and started calling off an order. Huggy moved off to fill it, and to make small talk with the beauty. Huggy was always happy when he was training a new girl.

Yes, it could be a very amusing evening.

* * *

Hutch enjoyed making small talk with Wanda. She was funny, intelligent and, of course, beautiful. He could not get enough of her beautiful eyes. It was wonderful to sit and relax with her and make small talk. No interrogations, no games. She didn't look like a Wanda though…maybe a Tammy or Jill or Sara… or Farrah. Wow, she was beautiful. She seemed a little reserved. Easily explained by her being new to town. 

"So, where are you from?"

"All over really, but Minnesota was home in my early years."

"Really! Me too. What part?"

"Minneapolis"

"Ah, the City of Lakes…"

"I don't remember too much about it other than our backyard and our neighbors. We had tons of friends who would come over to ride bikes and play in the water. One year we went to the Aquatennial and The Lone Ranger was there. From then on out, my bike was a blazing fast white stallion, and I would wear a mask with my cowgirl hat."

"It sounds like you had a wonderful childhood."

"Oh, I did! I would say it was perfect." _Yeah, right. That's more Michele's life than mine. It's everything I wish it were_. Julie thought bitterly. She was careful not to let her emotions play on her face. It was true, she did have all of these opportunities, she just wanted more. The other kids didn't like it when she threw stones at the cat that she had tied to a tree. They would not play with her after she slowly killed it. But they never told on her because they knew she would find them and do that or something worse to anyone who squealed on her. _They were all wimps. Just like this fool in front of me._

"So what do you do all day?" she asked.

"Well, believe it or not, I'm a cop. We just got off duty."

"What! No! Where's your uniform?" she asked, pretending to be interested.

"I'm what they call a detective. We don't wear a uniform. Starsky's my partner."

"Your partner at work?"

Hutch didn't catch the play on her words. "Yes. He's a good cop. Ah, here's our food." Hutch busied himself with getting his and Wanda's food situated. He was comfortable. More comfortable than he had been in a long time.

They lingered over their meal. As they talked, Julie thought about how, and when she was going to do it. She could do it now, but his partner was there, and he would notice. No, it would be better if she could get him alone. She just needed to determine if it was possible.

"I want to thank you for dinner. I had a wonderful time." 'Wanda' said as she stood up to go. Hutch stood up too and asked if he could see her to her car. _Looking good_, she thought. He followed her, and put his arm around her waist as he led her to the exit. _Looking very good_…

Starsky stood up too. He had spent a long time talking with Huggy and the various waitresses, but now was tired and was ready to go home for a long, hopefully dreamless, sleep. He just needed to know if his friend needed a ride, or if Hutch would be going home with his new girlfriend. He didn't want to interrupt anything, but he didn't want to hang around watching his friend to see what he was doing. It was just too weird. So he timed his exit to coincide with theirs, and met them at the door.

"Hey Hutch," he started and then acknowledged the woman Hutch had his arm around protectively with a polite "Miss." And one of his best smiles. "Can I borrow him for just a second?" he asked her.

"Sure. Go right ahead. I needed to go to the lady's room anyways. Take all the time you need." She said and then left to find the restroom.

Starsky got a funny look on his face as he paused to watch her go. It felt like the room was slowly spinning, almost like he was drunk, but he had not been drinking anything this evening.

"No Starsk. This one it mine." Hutch started before he saw the look on Starsky's face. "Hey, you ok?" He said with concern in his voice.

"Yeah. I think so." The walls began to move like they were breathing. "I think I need some fresh air."

"What's going on?" Hutch asked.

"I just wanted to see if you needed a ride home, but Hutch?" The look of his friend's eyes gave Hutch concern.

"Yeah?"

"I think I might be needing a ride instead. Here comes your friend. I'm going out to the car." With that, Starsky headed out the door before 'Wanda' returned.

Hutch was a little confused. He suspected Starsky was having a flashback, but wasn't certain. Either way, it looked like he would be sleeping in his own bed tonight and not visiting with his new girlfriend. He would need to figure out what was up with his partner. He just needed a little time to see Wanda safely to her car and to set up another date. Starsky could wait that long for sure.

"Everything ok?" Wanda asked with that glorious smile of hers.

"Oh yeah, sure. He just needs a ride home, that's all." Hutch said, with a blinding smile of his own. "May I see you to your car?" He asked while putting his arm around her waist again and holding open the door.

Julie walked with him over to the car she had driven. She had bought it with cash awhile back and had registered it under a false name.

Hutch was impressed with the car. "A Chevy Nova 454! Wow! What do you need with a muscle car like this?"

"I don't need it. I just like it. I had to go to Garden Grove to get it. I like the feel of something strong and powerful beneath me." Wanda said with a purely innocent look on her face. _That'll get his attention_. Julie thought. She opened the door and got in.

The double meaning of her statement got his attention. He wasn't sure that was the way she had meant it though. She had this wonderful look of innocence to her. Hutch was certain though that he really wanted to be the "something strong and powerful" for her. He was determined to have another date, and soon. He leaned over the open window and looked at her.

"Wanda, would you be interested in going out with me to dinner tomorrow night?" Hutch asked.

_I knew it_! "I would love to. Would you be interested in maybe me cooking dinner for you? I would love to see your place!"

Hutch agreed, and they set the time. Wanda said she would meet him there and then leaned over and gave Hutch a long and lingering kiss. On the scale of kisses this one was way up there on the enjoyability meter. She started the car and pulled away. Julie was looking forward to tomorrow night. She would come prepared.

Hutch stood there and watched her go. _Well, she certainly passed the kissing test._ He could not wait until tomorrow night. Maybe he could test her other abilities. He found himself smiling at the thought as he walked to the back of the building where Starsky had parked. He found Starsky sitting in the passenger seat of the Torino. That sobered him up quickly as that was a sure sign that Starsky had been having a flashback. He opened the driver's door and slid behind the wheel.

"Is it bad?" Hutch asked.

"Let's just say that I feel like I've been on a drinking binge and I haven't touched a drop."

"You still feeling it?" Hutch said as he started the car.

"The walls are not breathing anymore, but …" Starsky did not add on the feelings of panic and fear that went along with the flashback.

"Why don't you stay at my place tonight?"

Starsky didn't answer right away. Truthfully, he did not know. The melty, wavery effects were diminishing, but it scared him to think about what the trigger had been.

"How was your date?"

"Oh, good. Really, really good. She's nice. She's coming to the apartment tomorrow night to make dinner." Hutch said with a smile.

For some reason, that did not sit well with Starsky. Something was nagging at him, but he thought it was the aftereffects of the flashback. "You gonna make her the 'special'?" Starsky asked, trying to inject some humor into the conversation.

"She's special, Starsk. Anyways, she's bringing the fixings. I just get to sit back and watch the lady at work." Hutch answered. He thought a moment and then added with a laugh, "Maybe after dinner she can enjoy my special desert."

Starsky smiled. He enjoyed the banter the two shared about the women in and out of their lives. He still couldn't shake the nagging feelings though.

"Hey, drive on to your place, and I'll drive home from there." Starsky said when Hutch made the turn that would lead to Starsky's home.

"You sure? I could bring your car back in the morning on the way to work." Hutch said, concern in his voice.

"I'm fine now. Maybe I just waited too long to eat." Starsky said, but he was not convinced. He could not help feeling that it was Wanda's voice that set him off, but he just could not figure out why.

"Ok, it's your call." Hutch answered. Starsky was looking much better now, and he knew his friend would tell him if he was unable to drive.

They drove on to Hutch's, where after asking one more time if Starsky was all right, Hutch went up to bed. He was going to enjoy thinking about his date tomorrow. He waited until Starsky phoned to let him know that he had made it home safely and then went to bed.

The following morning was routine. In fact the whole day was routine, with nothing major pressing. They both hated it. It meant that they had to finish up some long neglected paper work, and neither enjoyed pecking away at the typewriter for any length of time. But they did get a long lunch and got to pack it in early, which was much to Hutch's liking.

"So what are you up to tonight, Starsk?"

"I have a date with a pizza and a double feature. Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds' is on followed by 'Vertigo'. It's really cool! It's about these birds…"

"I've seen it Starsk. Looks like I'll be having more fun than you though. See ya tomorrow!" Hutch threw back over his shoulder as he headed out the door.

"Yeah." Starsky threw back as he turned back to put the last of the folders in the out box. He made a call to Lenny's Pizza for a large with everything on it. He got his jacket and headed out to his car after tossing out a goodnight to the three guys left in the office. He walked to his car and thought about what had happened last night. It still nagged at him. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that it was Wanda's voice that had triggered the flashback. But why? She was not Julie. She was too short, too curvaceous and her hair was too long and light. But still, it was something about her that had triggered the flashback.

He was still working on it as he picked up the pizza and headed home.


	19. Chapter 19

The date you have been waiting for…

**Chapter 19**

Hutch arrived home in time to shower and straighten up his place some for his date with Wanda. He took a few minutes to set out some candles and some glasses. He had a couple of nice bottles of wine chilling and a corkscrew. He folded some of his extra clothes that he had been meaning to put away for a few days. After showering, he took extra care while shaving, making sure he erased any trace of his 5 o'clock shadow. He reflected on how nice it was to be a man. So little planning went into how he looked for a date. Women had things like make-up and nails, legs to shave and clothes to be just right. Yes, he would rather have the hassles of being a man, he thought as he finished up his shaving and got a shirt on.

He was eager to start the evening. Everything was ready, so he decided to water his plants, just to keep himself busy. He almost jumped out of his skin when there was a knock at the door. A deep breathe…

He opened his door with a genuine smile on his face. His smile dropped quickly.

"Starsky. What the hell are you doing here?"

"I just needed to borrow a couple of beers. I'll be out of your way in a second. She's not here yet, is she?" Starsky asked as he went over to the fridge.

"No. And what's wrong with the store?"

Thinking quickly, Starsky tossed over his shoulder "I'm out of money. I'll get you a case the next time I get paid."

"Fine, take what you want, and leave. Wanda's going to be here any minute." The last thing Hutch wanted was his partner here when his girlfriend showed up.

"Thanks buddy. You only have three left, and a couple of bottles of wine."

"Take the beer, don't touch the wine, and leave."

Starsky laughed. "I'm going. Hey, I'll pick you up on the way to work?" He asked as he crossed the room.

"Sure, whatever." Hutch said with a frown on his face. He opened the door and practically shouted, "Leave."

And there stood Wanda, looking gorgeous with a couple of bags in her arms and a big purse slung over her shoulder. Hutch was so taken aback, that he forgot his manners and just stood there.

"You want me to go?" Wanda asked.

"N-no. Not you. Him." Hutch said, unable to recover smoothly.

"Oh. Hi again. Were you staying for dinner? I only planned a dinner for two."

"He was just leaving." Hutch said while taking the bags from Wanda. Hutch glared at his partner from above the grocery bags. He mouthed _Get OUT!_ silently and so that Wanda could not see.

"No." Starsky said. "I was just leaving. Sorry to interrupt. Can I help with anything before I go." He directed towards Wanda as he walked out the door. He motioned downstairs, indicating that he would help bring anything else up.

"No. I brought everything up from the car. Thanks." She smiled at him as she came in the apartment, but it lacked warmth. "It was good seeing you again." She added as she closed the door. "Good night."

The door shut with a click, and Starsky headed home for a night of pizza and beer with a movie.

* * *

"I'm sorry." Hutch said as he helped Wanda pull the ingredients out of the bag. "He just stopped by for a couple of beers to go with his pizza."

"What's wrong with the store?" She asked.

Hutch thought it was cute how she seemed to think just like him.

"Out of money."

"Oh." She said knowingly. Turning to dinner, she asked if he had a cutting board and knife. Hutch pulled them out, and set the carrots on the board while he went searching for his sharp knife that he liked to use on vegetables. He thought she looked better tonight than she did last night.

"Are you interested in some wine?"

"Sure. What do you have?"

"I've found a Côtes du Ventoux. It's a combination of red wine, rosé and white. It's mostly red though. It's kind of a fruity wine."

"I've never heard of it, but I'm game. Do you have a frying pan? I'd like to sauté some onions."

"I keep it beside the stove." Hutch replied while opening the wine. He loved the slight clinking sound as the bottle touched the glass, and the throaty sounds the bubbles made with the first pour from the bottle. He poured just a little in the glass and gave it to her to try. She sipped it, and awarded him another of her brilliant smiles. Hutch could not help himself, and he leaned over to kiss her. Wanda returned the kiss with a fervor that caused Hutch's breath to leave and his blood to rush. It was a dizzying kiss and he loved it.

"I need to serve this wine all the time!"

Wanda only laughed and returned to cutting the vegetables. The pan sizzled as she added the onions to some butter she had melted. The carrots she chopped and threw into a pot with some water.

"Do you like steak?" She asked.

"Sure." _Not really, but I'll try it for you_. Hutch thought. The apartment was beginning to smell good with the onions. Just to make small talk, he asked, "What are you making?" Wanda looked at him and smiled. "It's a surprise." She looked in one bag and then another. She then went back to the first bag. Hutch could tell she was missing something.

"Can I help?"

"Oh, Ken, I forgot a bottle down in the car. Would you mind getting it for me? It must have fallen out of the bag. It should be in the front seat." Wanda asked.

She's so beautiful. Hutch thought. "Sure. Where are you parked?" She told him and gave him another long kiss.

"That's for helping." She said. Hutch began thinking that he would make sure he was very helpful when she was around. Setting his wine down, he headed for the door. He did not see the vicious smile that played along 'Wanda's' lips.

"Hey Ken!" She called when he reached the door.

"Humm?" He turned slightly.

"You'll want the keys." She said and tossed him a set of keys. "It's the long gold one…"

Hutch ran downstairs and found the bottle where it had rolled up under the passengers seat. It was olive oil. _Probably for the vegetables_. He took a second and looked closer at the bottle. Cold press, extra virgin. It was an expensive oil. _Too good for cooking. Probably for a salad._ He liked the way this girl cooked.

When he returned to his apartment, Wanda had set out a plate with crackers topped with a dip of the onions and a chopped up herb that Hutch could not identify.

"That's an interesting appetizer." Hutch stated while taking the one Wanda handed to him.

"It's kind of a tradition in my family. On special occasions you start your meal with these crackers. They're slightly bitter, and you follow it with lemons with sugar on top. It is supposed to bring you luck." She smiled. "You ready for this?"

"Bring it on!" Hutch said and took a bite. It was bitter! Hutch tried not to make a face because he did not want to hurt her feelings. Wanda took a bite and made a face, and then she quickly turned and got the lemons. She bit into hers, and Hutch followed suit.

"We have to eat all of the cracker for the luck to work!" She popped the other half of her cracker into her mouth and then bit into the lemon again.

Hutch took a deep breath and popped the last of the cracker into his mouth. It was really bitter! The sugar on the lemon cut through the aftertaste. It left his mouth tingling.

He smiled and took a cracker without anything on it.

"Weird huh?"

"Anything for good luck. What's in it?"

"Well, I used some of the onions, mixed with yogurt, and the bitterness comes from Gentian. It's an herb that helps stimulate the appitite. It's something that has been passed down from my great-great-great grandmother. It has always been in the family garden."

"Is the rest of the meal going to be as interesting as that?" Hutch hoped it would taste better.

Wanda laughed. "Oh, I think it will be very, very interesting. I've included all of my favorite recipies." There was a distinctly fierce look to her face. It softened as soon as Hutch noticed it. It seemed to strike a memory, one that recalled the girl with Rob. He looked at her again. There was nothing else that remind him of Julie though. She did not fit the physical profile.

"I like the wine you chose. Where did you find it?"

As Hutch described the location, the thought of Julie slipped from his mind. He picked up his wine and took a piece of cheese. The bitterness remained in his mouth. Not as strong, but still there. It changed the taste of the wine a little. The cheese tasted good though.

They made small talk about the weather and jobs for a few minutes while Wanda worked. She dumped the lot into a roasting pan and put it in the oven. She turned around, and said, "We now have about 45 minutes until we eat. Shall we go sit down?"

"Sure. You want your wine?"

"Please." Wanda sat down on the couch and watched Hutch. He swayed as he walked, spilling a bit of the wine. "Oops!" Wanda just laughed, took her glass and set it aside. She then reached up and pulled Hutch down to join her. Hutch was feeling a little tipsy, but he readily responded to her kiss. Being in her arms felt so good. His skin tingled when she ran her fingers along his face. He did not know how much time had passed, but all of a sudden it occurred to him that his tipsy feeling was intensifying.

"I need to go to the baffroom." He said and tried to stand up. The room began to spin and he sat back down. "What have you done?" He shouted at her.

"What's wrong?" Wanda asked in feigned alarm.

Hutch put his head in his hands. "I'm ok."

"No you're not. What's wrong? Are you alergic to anything? You should have told me. Here, lay down, I'll get something for your head." Wanda helped him stretch out on the couch and went into the bathroom. Hutch knew he wasn't alergic to anything, and felt like he had been drugged. He was beginning to relax though. His feelings of alarm were fading to be replaced by a sense of calm and acceptance as his arms and legs became numb.

"You're feeling better." His eyes wandered up to find Wanda's face. Her voice echoed around in his head.

"Betrr" Hutch mumbled. He felt strangely detached from what was going on around him. He wondered if it was possible to feel calm dread. He knew something was wrong, but he was helpless to do anything about it.

"My sweet baby." Julie purred. "You've got a big party ahead of you. I am going to enjoy it." Efficiently she checked him over to make sure the drug had taken full effect. He was flushed and sweating. His speech was blurring. If she had gotten it right, he would be under in a few minutes. PCP was originally used as a surgical anesthetic. They stopped using it because during recovery, patients often became restless, delusional, and unreasonable while recovering from its anesthetic effects. Now it's only legal use was in veterinary settings. It was a good thing she still had her connections in the veterinary world. The stuff she gave Hutchinson was pure, uncut and almost guaranteed to give him a bad trip. She watched him to see if he would go rigid. From what she understood, he would still be conscious, he just would not be able to move. She would move him to another spot where they could have a wonderful time together. While she was waiting, Julie took the time to search his pad. She smiled when she found his handcuffs. She would need them soon to keep him in one place when the anesthetic effect wore off.

"Ken, how are you feeling?"

Hutch simple stared straight ahead at nothing, his muscles stiff and unmoving except for his rapid breathing. He was helpless. Julie was elated.


	20. Chapter 20

I'm afraid this is not going to be pretty…

**Chapter 20**

Starsky was restless. The pizza was gone, and the beer sat untouched. It had simply been an excuse to see Wanda again. He could not be certain she was not who she said she was. He did not have a flashback the second time he met her. She didn't look like Julie. Not even close. There was just something in the voice that bothered him. He could not recall ever hearing Julie talk to him while Rob and Julie held him, but something in Wanda's voice reminded him of that time.

"Vertigo" was just beginning, when Starsky jumped up and turned off the set. He didn't know why, he just went over and put his shoes back on, grabbed his jacket and his keys and headed for his car. He was on his way to Hutch's when he began to think what a fool he would be for intruding on Hutch's date. He had no plausible excuse for showing up. He had taken all the beer. He knew he would never forgive Hutch if he showed up on his doorstep when Starsky had a hot date, so why was he headed over there? He could have called. He could stop at a telephone booth and make a call. It would take him out of his way by a few minutes, but it would save him an embarrassing arrival. He thought about it and decided it might be a better tactic.

Starsky pulled into a gas station and went over to the phone booth. The phone rang and rang. He was just about to hang up and head over to Hutch's when it finally picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Wanda? This is David. Is Hutch there?" Starsky asked.

"Sure, but he's not, ah, available right now. Can I have him call you right back?"

"Um. No. I'm not at home right now. Could you tell him it's important? I really need to talk to him."

"I'm sorry David. Not right now. Call back a little later, Ok." With that, she hung up the phone.

Starsky did not know what to make of the phone call. It just did not sit right with him. Giving into his instinct, he got back in his car and drove the rest of the way to Hutch's apartment. He sat in the car for a moment, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing. He could see a female shadow pass in front of the window. Nothing else. No big deal. Hutch could be on the couch. His concern grew despite the calmness of the circumstances.

Finally, he got out of his car and headed up to the second floor apartment. Even though there was a key above the door, Starsky felt better knocking.

"Come in." Came the familiar female voice.

He opened the door and stepped in the apartment. The lights were dim. He closed the door and looked up into the barrel of a gun.

"Come in, David. You are just in time. I wasn't expecting you, but I could use the help." Starsky stood still, assessing the situation. He could make out the form of his partner lying on the couch. He wasn't moving.

"You kill him?" He said, a deadly calm masking his anger. If Hutch was dead, this broad was going to feel his fury. Hutch had been there to rein him in with Prudholm. There would be no stopping him now.

"No. He's not dead. He may be wishing he were in a little while, but no. He is very much alive. Come on in. Place your gun at your feet and kick it towards me. Slowly. Now, kick it towards me. What a good boy!" Without taking her eyes off of Starsky, Julie bent down and picked up his gun. "Now your handcuffs. Take them out slowly."

"Lady, I didn't bring my handcuffs."

"Aw. Now that's just too bad." Without movingher gun off of Starsky, Julie took his gun and aimed it at Hutch.

Sighing, Starsky reached in his pocket and removed the handcuffs.

"What a little liar you are! Put the cuffs on your left hand. Now go over there next to the post and lock yourself to it." Slowly Starsky obeyed. When he got there he closed the handcuffs loosely around his right hand, hoping she would not notice and he could get his hand out quickly.

"Now, aren't we just the devious one." Julie crooned. She walked behind him and tightened the cuffs down until they cut into his wrists. She put his gun into her waistband of her pants and searched him. She was not delicate about it. She found his keys and pocketed them.

"What did you give my partner?" Starsky asked. He was wishing fervently that he had called in his suspicions to Dobey. It's not something he would normally do, but in hindsight it would have helped considerably.

Julie just looked at him and smiled. She picked up all of her possessions and put them back into the bag. The "meal" she had made went into a plastic bag and after that, into the grocery bag. Methodically, she cleaned each pot and put it away. She wiped every surface with 409 to erase every fingerprint. The glasses were washed and dried and put back in the cupboards.

"Where are we going?" Starsky asked. When he got no answer he added, "I'm talking to you." in that same, calm, deadly voice.

Julie looked at him for a moment and then went over to her bag. She pulled out a roll of duct tape and then walked back to Starsky, put the gun to his head and said, "If you know what is good for you, you will close your mouth right now." Reluctantly, he did what he was told. The tape went over his closed mouth. All he could think was how much it would hurt when she pulled it off with part of his beard.

She walked over to Hutch and did the same thing to him. Hutch moved his eyes as if to follow her and Starsky noticed his eyes began jumping, like the muscle that controlled eye movement was twitching. Julie picked up the bags and went downstairs. Starsky took that time and tried like mad to release his hands while she was gone. He was unsuccessful. If the store downstairs had been open, he would have jumped up and down in the hopes that someone would hear him. That would have risked another life though, and Starsky was grateful that there was nobody there. This way, he did not have to choose. Julie returned to the apartment with cotton gloves on her hands. She smiled as if she knew of his struggles and they pleased her.

Julie moved behind Starsky and released one of the cuffs. "Now, we are going to go downstairs to the car. You are going to help your friend there into the backseat. Let's go."

Starsky walked over to where Hutch lay, and looked quickly into his eyes. He could see fear there. His pupils were not dilated or pinpoint. They seemed normal. They just did not seem to be able to focus on anything. He noted that Hutch too wore his handcuffs on one hand. His anger mounting, Starsky silently assisted his friend to sit and tried to get him to stand. It was no use. Hutch was unable to control his legs. Sighing as best one can around duct tape, Starsky lifted Hutch over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Julie indicated with the gun the way she wanted him to go.

Starsky thought rapidly on the way down the stairs, searching for any opportunity to run. Julie had parked the car in the alley, and there was no one around. It was deadly silent, and the sound of the car door opening sounded like a firecracker in a graveyard. He tried to help Hutch the best he could into the car without jostling him around too much. The car was only a two door, and trying to get Hutch into the tiny backseat was a nightmare. He could not help much, and Starsky could not talk to him to get any cooperation. By the time he had his friend in the backseat, Starsky was breathing heavily and wishing he could breath through his mouth.

"Look closely. You will find an eyebolt on the side. Put his cuff through that and lock in his other hand. I will be checking, so you had better do it right."

Reluctantly, Starsky located the eyebolt and did what he had been instructed to do. Hutch began to get a wild look in his eyes and he seemed to be getting movement back in his arms and legs. Once secured to the car, he slouched down on the seat and lay there, unmoving, taking rapid, shallow breaths.

"Your turn, curly. Put your cuffs through the eyebolt on the other side. That's it. Put your legs down here." Starsky did what he was told and quickly found his legs lashed to another bolt in the floor. He wasn't going anywhere. Julie placed the rest of the rope and her gloves in the grocery bags in the passenger seat, and came around the car. With nothing else to do, Starsky studied the bolts. They were not new. The bolt had been painted black to blend in with the paneling. Starsky noticed there were scuffmarks on the one that held his hands. It looked as if someone had struggled against the bonds that now tethered him to the car. It gave him a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He tested the possibility of unscrewing it. Nothing. It didn't budge.

"Oh. One more thing, dear Dave." Julie said in a soft singsong voice. "Close your eyes." Starsky heard the roll of tape again and resigned, he closed his eyes. He was now completely at her mercy. Just where Julie wanted him.


	21. Chapter 21

I have struggled with this one. I find it difficult to write about such an unpleasant person. It is a little scary trying to get inside their brain and think the way they would think. That is why it has taken me so long to get this one out.

Thank you for your patience and let me know if I hit or missed my mark. Feedback is much appreciated.

**Chapter 21**

_Where am I going? What's going on? I can't move. I'm in a car. Why can't I move? I can't breath._

Hutch's thoughts became panicked and he frantically fought to move anything at all. There was something over his mouth and his hands. Everything was spinning and the lights were dancing. He tried to look around and one of the lights noticed him. He became afraid. The light came closer to him. Looking at him. Studying him. Hutch tried to close his eyes and make it go away, but somehow the light was able to come through his closed eyelids. It tried to talk to him, from inside, but Hutch could not understand its language. The light danced around to the song it sang and then all of a sudden it rushed him. It was trying to fool him into thinking he was safe. Instead, it possessed him!

His fear growing, he fought it, trying to kick out or hit it, but his hands would not move. He kicked again and felt the light scream. Suddenly something heavy pushed up against his legs and he couldn't move. He had to fight. He tried with all of his might to push the light away, but it brought friends and they all looked at him. He was trapped, but he would never give up fighting…

Starsky could hear his friend thrashing and moaning in the seat beside him. He didn't know what to do, but when he tried humming to him, Hutch suddenly kicked out and landed a good blow to his ribs. All of the air rushed out of him as he struggled to start breathing again. It hurt as his diaphragm spasmed, trying to reset its rhythm. He struggled to breath through the tape without much success. His eyes teared up and he could hear Hutch's struggles escalating.

_Screw it!_ he thought and brought his face over to his hands. Starsky fingered at the tape for a few moments, trying to find a spot he could hold onto. He finally ripped the tape off of his mouth and took a deep breath. Then the sting set in as hundreds of little pores lamented the loss of the hairs that once resided there. Hutch landed another one on Starsky's thigh. It didn't hurt as much, but he had to do something to reduce Hutch's chance of doing some real damage. He lifted himself up the best he could and brought his body down over Hutch's stretched out legs. He could feel Hutch jerk and buck against this new weight, but there was nothing he could do. Julie continued to drive them through the night to parts unknown. With his hands and his feet bound, there were not a lot of options.

Hutch was fighting some real demons, and unfortunately, Starsky knew just what he was going through. He thought he could hear Julie laughing in the front seat. Only once had Starsky felt the killing rage he was feeling now. Any chance he got, he was going to take it. He had to. Because if he did not, she would.

Finally, they started to slow. They turned off onto a road that felt like it had never been paved. Starsky could not see what was around. He was tempted to take the tape off of his eyes, like he had his mouth. He settled on only pulling enough off to see with one eye. If Julie looked back, she might still think Starsky was blindfolded. He could see the tops of some trees. Mountains? So they were no longer in the city. The car stopped and Julie got out of the car. Starsky took that time to address Hutch.

"Hutch? Buddy? It's Starsky. I'm here. You ok?"

A muffled sound answered him. Starsky had forgotten that Hutch was still gagged.

"It's me, Hutch. I'm here. Don't be afraid. I'll take care of you…" Grand words. Starsky fervently hoped he could back them up.

"Somebody has been a bad little boy." Julie said from above him. "I am not happy with you."

"Stuff it!"

Julie just laughed and got back in the car. She drove into a darkened area and left the car again while she got out. Starsky assumed it was to shut a gate. Once back in her car, she drove slowly past tall evergreens. Starsky could not make out many details, and it put him at a severe disadvantage. It was a long road. Hutch started struggling again, and furiously kicked his legs against Starsky's back.

"It's ok, Hutch. It's ok."

Julie stopped and turned around to look at him.

"You think so? Why do you lie to him? Do you think it's comforting?" Julie laughed. "You're just denying the inevitable you know. You are going to die for what you did, but first you are going to be punished. If you are lucky, I may kill you first." Julie reached back and ripped off the tape from across his eyes.

"What the hell did I ever do to you? What did he do to you? You're the one who started this whole thing…"

"That's right. And I will be the one to end it too!" Julie fairly shouted. She was loosing control. Starsky watched her take a deep breath to steady herself before she resumed in a cold, calculating voice. "I _will_ have my revenge."

She got out of the car and proceeded to Hutch's side. She reached in and released the handcuffs from his left arm. When he started flailing, she quickly locked the cuff to the eyebolt so his right arm was secure.

"Oh goodness. Guess he has some energy to burn off. You don't mind, do you Dave?"

Hutch blindly struck out at the seats, the windows, and inevitably, Starsky.

"Hutch! Huuutch! It's me buddy! It's ok." Starsky took a blow to the side of his head. "Don't hit me man! Hutch.Stop IT!" Finally something broke through Hutch's frenzy, and he turned his eyes towards Starsky. Fear and anguish were painted over his face as he struggled to focus his eyes. The tape across his mouth was beginning to pull away because of the profuse sweating.

"Starsss?"

"It's me. You're ok. You are going to be ok. I'm here." Starsky continued to try to calm his partner when Julie leaned in the window and screamed, "He's going to kill you! Watch out!"

Hutch cringed and curled up on himself. Julie started hitting him while yelling obscenities at him. Hutch flailed out again. First at Julie, and then at Starsky since Julie had pulled out of the car, laughing hysterically. Julie watched while Starsky again calmed his partner down while trying to protect his head. She seemed to tire of this entertainment and wandered over to the cabin.

Starsky started all over again. "Hutch, it's ok. You've been drugged. It's going to be ok. I'm here."

"Oh Starsk…the lights. I'm dying!"

"No you're not! We'll make it out. Just hang in there. One step at a time. You hear me, you big lummox?"

"Ok. Ok." Starsky could see the visible effort Hutch made to gain control of himself. He had been dusted pretty good. Starsky wondered how she got it into him.

"Back in control here?" Came a voice from above his head. Julie walked to the front of the car and leaned in, looking at her captives. She so enjoyed toying with these pitiful creatures. Make them think they have a chance…

"Good. It's time to move, my friends." Julie produced her gun and gave Starsky his key. "Go ahead. Let yourself out." She stood back and watched as he struggled to get his hands around to the lock to release the catch. "Oh no. You may only release one hand. Lock your right hand with his left – if you can catch it. Then you may untie your feet and help Ken here." Julie watched with a cold smile as Starsky struggled to get out of the car. Time didn't matter. She had all the time in the world. With Michele dead, she could take as much time as she wanted with these two. And then, when she was done, their bodies would disappear in the woods with the others. She wanted to have a little more fun than she had with Michele. Michele was, after all, family. One had to have standards…

Finally Starsky climbed out of the car with Hutch in tow. He had removed the remaining duct tape from across Hutch's mouth and left Hutch's handcuffs attached to the eyebolt in the car. Julie did not say anything, and Starsky was grateful for this small detail.

"Over here darling." Julie pointed to the cabin.

It was difficult for Starsky to help his friend walk with their hands cuffed together. He ended up propping him up on his shoulder with their cuffed hands in front. Hutch was beginning to cooperate, but he had a panicky, hunted look to him. Which was entirely appropriate, with or without drugs. Julie herded them into the surprisingly deep cabin, to a back basement room. It was cinderblock construction with a cement ceiling and floor. It looked like it had originally been built as a bomb shelter. The room was cold and damp.

Starsky looked towards the back and saw a set up that reminded him of Janos Martini. Chains on the wall and other paraphernalia that made Starsky's stomach turn, even though he had been exposed to it in his line of work. The dark stains on the floor took on new meaning. This cabin had been used before, and not for a pleasant little weekend in the woods.

"Let's see. I think you can head over to the hand chains. Secure your left arm, his right."

"Lady, you are truly sick." A bullet ricocheted off of the floor in front of Hutch, spraying their legs with cement fragments. As Starsky made his way over to the wall he muttered, "Case in point..."

Julie raised the gun and Starsky quickly secured the wrist restraint on himself and another on his friend. "Sorry buddy." Hutch rolled his eyes. Was he understanding?

"Thirsty?" Julie gave Hutch a small Dixie cup of water. "Hutch, no!" He eagerly drank, only to spit out the vile, bitter fluid.

"I made it strong. Some of it will make its way into your system." Julie laughed and turned to Starsky. "You want some?" Starsky hit the cup to the floor. Julie looked at him with cold narrow eyes. "Don't worry babe, your time will come."

Hutch had been sweating profusely for over an hour prior to this new dose. Starsky was surprised to see that he broke out in yet another flush of sweat. His breathing picked up, rapid and shallow. He seemed to be watching the ceiling, the floor. His eyes danced and jerked as they tried to focus. Starsky could pick up the vertical nystagmus that was going on, a common side effect of PCP. Some of the beat cops swore by the rhythmic involuntary eye movements in assessing drunken driving. Starsky had seen it a couple of times in the junkies they dealt with sometimes. _Shit. This was bad._

Starsky's anger grew, and he lashed out at Julie. "I thought you had it out for me. Why did you drug him like that?"

Julie was willing to offer some explanations. "Honey, Rob wanted to finish the job with Hutchinson. I talked him into hunting you first. What better way to hurt him than to hurt his friend?" Julie looked at Hutch and her face became stone cold fury. "But now that Rob is dead, I am going to finish the job for him. Slowly. I hope his 'bad trips' are nightmares."

Julie walked over to where Hutch was standing looking wilted and tired. She released his arm from the cuff that bound him to Starsky, and brought his free hand over to yet another set of chains set in a different wall. It was a stretch, but she did not want either one loose yet. Once his wrist was secured, she released the other arm, carefully training the gun on his nearby partner, and moved him farther away from Starsky. Starsky was poised, ready for any false move, but Hutch followed her commands like a defeated puppy. He had no spark to him whatsoever. The drug was taking its toll. From a safe distance, Julie then had Starsky secure his free hand.

She left the room for a moment, leaving the door open. The psychological effect was not lost on Starsky. He tugged at his restraints, straining to release himself, but without success. The damp chamber had a closed in feel and a sour smell. Starsky associated it with the smell of fear and death.


	22. Chapter 22

_Unless my critic tells me differently, this will be the final chapter of this saga. I hope you find it asenjoyable as I did..._

**Chapter 22**

A million years later, Julie returned. Starsky was sweating with the escape effort he had put forth in vain.

"Ah, baby, what would you do for these?" She swaggered in spinning the keys around on her finger.

"For you, not a damn thing!" Starsky said in a deceivingly calm voice. Anger boiled just beneath the surface. Hutch had passed from a calm, drugged stage into what looked to be a very bad trip. He had been struggling, hitting at things unseen by his friend. He was not responsive to anything Starsky said to try to calm him. It was as if he were lost to this reality. The anger of the helplessness was bitter.

Julie laughed at Starsky, reveling in his vulnerability and defenselessness. She wandered over to stand nearby Hutch. "Fight them, you pig. Fight with everything you have. In the end, they will get you. And when they are done with you, I will have a turn." She smiled as Hutch doubled his useless efforts, fighting and lashing out with everything he had. His wrists were raw and bleeding, but the pain went unfelt.

She turned to Starsky. "He will pay for what he did. You however, are a bit of fun."

"Julie, you are insane." Starsky spat in disgust. He was having a hard time controlling his anger.

"Maybe, but you took from me the one person who ever loved me."

"Love? Are you talking about Rob? He used you, just like he used Michele and everyone else who ever came in contact with him. He was a two bit underling who belonged in the gutter." Starsky said, none too wisely.

"Shut up! He was a master! A genius!"

"He was so dumb; his own family beat him to a pulp and left him for dead! Don't waste your life defending him. He was not worth it."

"I said shut up! You will pay for your insolence, you pig." Julie brought down a whip from the wall and began swinging it at Starsky, his legs, his waist, his face. It cut through his jeans and tore at his shirt. Julie was in a rage, slashing and hitting with wild abandon. The leather of Starsky's jacket provided some protection for his arms and face, but the whip's tip found its mark on more than one occasion. Starsky could hear Hutch's struggles intensifying and more than once he cried out "No!" but he was unsure as to whether it was in response to the beating Starsky was taking, or his own nightmares. Either way Julie ignored Hutch as she concentrated on the object of her anger.

The pain was intense as welts raised up on his body.

As quickly as the beating had started, it stopped. Starsky sagged against the wall, exhausted. The next thing he knew, Julie was on him, kissing him. He jerked away, hitting his head against the wall. Julie laughed, drawing strength from his disgust. She came at him again, and this time Starsky kicked out, landing a solid blow to her abdomen.

Julie was momentarily stunned, and had to fight to catch her breath. A faint sheen broke out across her forehead and a deadly gleam shone in her eye as she slowly smiled. This is what she lived for. The pain, the fight for life. However, this was one fight that she would emerge the victor. She came at him again; only this time as she kissed him, she pinched his nostrils closed. Starsky struggled and fought to break off her deadly advances, but Julie seemed to gather strength from his weakening struggles. Starsky was reminded of a boa, crushing the life out of the prey it hugged so violently. Lights danced around behind his eyelids, and he felt numb from the lack of air. More than once he felt his head crack off of the wall. Julie's body was lean and strong, and with his limited movement from having his hands bound, Starsky was slowly, painfully losing the battle. Julie's face consumed his vision. The anger and frenzied evil danced over her face, contorting what had once been a beautiful face into a beastly image that reminded him of a gargoyle. He knew he was going to die. She was going to deprive him of breath, killing him with her own.

Starsky's oxygen starved brain fought futilely, and began shutting down. His struggles weakened and inwardly he knew he was about to die. _Hutch._ Oh God. He had sworn he would help his friend, and now, as death approached, he was reluctantly abandoning him to the viciousness of Julie's overwhelming evil. "I'm sorry", he thought, hoping against hope his friend could hear his thoughts.

Starsky felt her jerk against him. Surprise flared in her eyes as she slowly fell away from Starsky. He took a deep, life-giving breath, his chest protesting the sudden influx of air. He coughed and gagged. His eyes watered and ran as he struggled to inhale. He had no idea what had just happened. Horrified, he saw Julie lying at his feet, her eyes were open and aware, but she did not move. Starsky looked up to see his friend standing in front of him. Hutch's hands were still bound by the shackles, but they were no longer attached to the wall. Instead there was a piece of the wall attached to the shackles.

He looked every part the Nordic Viking that had been his heritage. His eyes burned blue and murderous. Hutch's chest rose and fell with uncontrolled rage. He looked at Starsky, and back again to the now helpless Julie on the floor. Hutch had managed to pull free and through his drug induced stupor had known without a doubt that Starsky was dying. He had used the chains Julie had bound him with as a weapon against her. His swing had caught her on her back, between the shoulder blades. Her back was broken, of that Starsky was certain. Later the doctors would report that she had sustained fractures of C6 and C7 and that T 1 through T4 were totally destroyed. That injury alone would leave her paralyzed from the waist down and adversely affect the functioning of both her arms. She would be, in all intents and purposes, a quadriplegic.

Starsky's eyes met his friends. Gratitude and relief flowed unspoken, but heard distinctly by both.

"Keys" Starsky said.

Hutch looked at him in confusion.

"Find the keys." Starsky repeated with a calm he did not feel.

Hutch nodded but stopped to stare at the motionless figure on the floor. Anger and rage danced across her face. She tried to move her head side to side. It was the only part of her body that she had any control over.

"Don't move." Starsky advised.

"Shut up you filthy pig! You should be dead! You killed my father now kill me! Let me go to hell and be with Rob. We'll haunt you from the grave!" Julie struggled helplessly on the cold cement floor, only her face showing any animation.

"Your father? What does he have to do with us?" Starsky asked in confusion.

"Rob was my father, you bastard!"

Revulsion filled Starsky's face. The true sickness of her mind filled him with disgust. Julie continued to yell obscenities from the floor, but Starsky found he no longer wanted to hear anything she had to say. He tuned her out and focused on his partner who was staring at the figure on the floor like it was vomit.

"Hutch? Keys." Starsky instructed again.

Hutch looked at Starsky for a moment and then nodded. The keys were an easy find. They had fallen on the floor near Starsky's feet. He fumbled with unlocking his first, but was unsuccessful. Finally he listened to Starsky and brought them over to him.

It took a few more minutes for Starsky to find the right key, and once he did he gratefully lowered his arms like an arthritic. He removed the chains from his partner. Stepping over the helpless form on the floor, he walked out of the deadly room to explore the rest of the cabin. He found a phone, but its wires were pulled out from the wall. He doubted if he took the time to rewire it that it would work. It was another of Julie's psychological games. Unfortunately for her, this game was denying her much needed medical help. Hutch sat down and stared at the floor. Starsky looked at him with worry in his eyes. One way or another, he was going to get his friend out of this hellhole.

Starsky grabbed a blanket off of the bed in the back room and took it down to where Julie continued to lay helpless on the cold, damp floor.

"I will get you some help. Tell me, does the phone work?" Starsky said in a frosty but calm voice.

"No." she replied. She was past fighting, and Starsky suspected the true predicament of her plight was just settling in. "The only way out is the car. The keys are on the key chain you took from me." She took a deep breath, realizing it was about the only thing in her body that she had control over right now. "There is a general store about 10 miles down the road if you turn right. They have a phone."

Starsky still had the keys in his back pocket. "We will be back with someone who can help you. I can't move you without help, and whatever you gave my partner has not worn off yet. He won't help me."

"It's PCP. It won't wear off for a long time."

"I see." Starsky's eyes and voice were deadly. He turned and left Julie on the floor where she had fallen. Hutch was still on the couch, staring at the walls. Starsky walked out softly and found the car. He found the right key and turned the car on, just to make sure Julie had been telling the truth. Leaving the car running, he went in to gather his partner. He had not moved.

Starsky slowly approached him to give his friend time to assimilate the fact that Starsky was there. He knew that surprise was the worst thing he could do to Hutch right now. He felt like he was dealing with a human bomb, which in a way he was. He knelt down nearby and said, "It's time to go."

Hutch continued staring at the floor for a few moments as the words slowly penetrated his brain. "We can go?" He mumbled.

"Yeah." Starsky replied with a warm smile. "Come with me."

The feel of the car moving away from the evil that permeated that cabin was something Starsky would reflect upon whenever he had too much to drink. He never could quite put it into words. He never returned to the cabin. Somebody else took care of Julie and the crime scene. All he remembered was that he had survived. Julie had been a formidable foe, and they had emerged alive from her lair. He felt like a knight who had slain the dragon, although technically Hutch was the knight in this drama.

Hutch had his own dragons he was dealing with. He struggled mightily to control the hallucinations that came over him in waves. He struggled to identify what was real and what was not. Hutch found if he focused on the steady stream of encouragement that flowed from his partner's mouth, at least the hallucinations were pleasant.

Starsky found the general store without any difficulty even though it took forever to get there. He was afraid that any moment Hutch would explode in anger or try to get out of the car, so Starsky drove slowly. The grocerywas a mom and pop store and mom and pop were more than willing to help the two strangers with whatever they had when they realized what had happened. They gave Starsky coffee and some homemade cookies that mom was famous for around these parts. Their phone was his, according to pop. Starsky immediately placed a call to Dobey and explained what had happened. He learned an APB had been placed on them this morning when they did not show for work.

An ambulance was not available in this part of the county, but Bill from Morton's Funeral Home was dispatched to assist with transporting Julie to the nearest hospital with an ambulance. She needed more care than the county hospital could provide.

Mom came over with a blanket for Starsky. She did not know the extent of the horrors Starsky had lived through, but she had the instincts of a true mother and Starsky instantly felt a bond with the woman. She made great cookies.

Pop went out and sat with Hutch quietly, his voice a calm in the storm that gave Hutch a peace he so desperately needed. Police were dispatched, and when they arrived, mom patiently explained why they needed to keep their lights off for Detective Hutchinson. Starsky doubted they would have listened to him, but they did her. Obviously, they had deep respect for the woman,and had probably enjoyed her homemade cookies too.

Eventually a transport was sent to take the two detectives back home. Dobey met them at the hospital where, once again, Dr. Anthony met them to treat the injuries. The physical injuries were minimal, but the PCP needed another 24 hours or so for it to work its way through Hutch's system.

Dr. Anthony took Starsky aside to explain his plans. "Many people brought in here on PCP can become violent or suicidal. We make sure they are kept in a calm setting and not left alone until the worst of the drug works its way through the system."

"Ok."

"There is a room set up on the psychiatry floor specifically for this purpose, and I want to send your partner there. It is not because I believe he is mentally unstable, it is because I believe he could benefit from the staff'sexpertise of working with the side effects of the drug."

Denial bubbled up on Starsky's lips, but the logic of what Dr. Anthony was saying made sense to him. Before Starsky could react unfavorably to his statement, Dr Anthony added, "You may not be comfortable with this, but I would like for you to stay with him. The room is comfortable, and quiet. The nurses will monitor him, and will help calm him down if he becomes uncontrollable. I believe he won't have as many bad effects though if you are there to help him through this."

"Damn straight."

"I take it that is agreeable to you then."

"Yes."

"He will remain my patient throughout."

"He'd better."

Dr. Anthony smiled and went to speak to a nurse about the transfer.


	23. Chapter 23

_An epilogue: After reading over the ending of Turnabout, I couldn't leave it alone anymore. Let me know if this works or if you think it's still not enough… _

_(I've always thought a good ending should leave you imagining something more but also leave you satiated.)_

"Starsk?"

His voice, finally, sounded normal.

"Yeah?"

"Where exactly are we?" Hutch asked while looking around the simple, non-descript room. The bed was low to the ground, on a simple platform in the middle of the room. The lighting was soft and indirect. A sink, shower and john were around the corner, but there was no door or curtain or anything for real privacy.

"How ya feeling?" Starsky asked, avoiding the subject for the moment.

"Like I went ten rounds with a pink elephant. I think I'm finally winning."

Starsky grunted out a laugh and scratched at the bandage around his left wrist while he adjusted himself on the cot they had set up for him in the room. It was hard to try to find an area on his thigh or ribs that Hutch had not bruised when he was walloping him during his hallucinations in the car. They had blossomed into an ugly black and blue, detailing a road map the horrors of the previous night. Starsky felt like he could sleep another 30 hours. He probably would once Hutch settled down.

Hutch sat up and examined his own bandaged wrists, as if seeing the injuries for the first time. Starsky watched him from his cot, poised and ready to react yet again if necessary.

"Is she dead?"

Starsky thought he detected a misting over the blue eyes of his partner. Good Lord, after all that Julie put them through, how could he feel anything but contempt or maybe a sense of pride?

"No. Not as far as I know. They had to bring her out in a hearse though. No ambulance service out that far. Poetic justice if you ask me."

Hutch just nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. Nothing was said for a long time. Starsky felt himself doze and even thought he started to dream. But he was not so far asleep that he did not hear his partner when he laid back down or when he took in a deep breath.

"What'd she give me?"

Starsky struggled up to wakefulness. "PCP."

"Angel dust, huh?"

He yawned and tried to push himself up to sitting. "Pretty pure stuff too. Dr. Anthony said he hasn't seen a case like yours in a long time." He gave up and lay back down.

"I'm in the hospital Starsk!"

"We are, yes." He replied calmly.

"Ah, shit."

"It's not your fault. Never was. Mine either. And if I.A. can't deal with that then they can take this job and shove it up their pure as gold butts. The way I see it, it's who do you trust time. I trust you. You saved my life when Julie was sucking it away. Dr. Anthony saved our lives. Cap'n Dobey values our lives enough to say we are on vacation right now, Ken Smith." Starsky rolled over and sat up. "By the way, I'm David Michaels. Nice to meet you…" He walked over and offered his hand for a handshake.

Hutch stared at his hand for a second as if it was covered with mucus before glancing up into the bloodshot eyes of his rumpled partner. Starsky tenderly sat down beside Hutch.

He repeated, "It's not your fault."

A gentle knocking came from the door. Hutch didn't even look up when Dr Anthony walked in followed by a 5'6" slightly overweight, but not unattractive nurse in blue pants and a terry pullover. She carried a tray with a couple cups of steaming beverages and a couple covered plates and bowls, which she set on Starsky's now abandoned cot. Dr Anthony knelt down about 5 feet away from Hutch and asked him how he was feeling.

"Fine." Came the terse reply.

"Seeing anything that you know is not there?"

"Blunt aren't you doc?"

"Yep." Came the calm reply. He looked at Hutch and then his partner. "There is a difficult transition time as the hallucinations wear off sometimes. Not always. You've been through the wringer."

Hutch grunted an acknowledgement.

"Is reality back yet?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Hungry?"

"Ravenous!" Came a voice to the left of the patient. Hutch laughed and that brought a smile to everyone's face.

"Let's try to eat, and then if all goes well, my cohort here, Darlene will make arrangements for you to go home Mr. Smith." Dr Anthony said with a smile. His knees cracked as he stood up. "By the way, Darlene has worked with many people who have been through post traumatic stress disorder. She's a great resource to contact when the panic hits. Don't feel like you have to go it alone you guys. Either of you." He looked both of them in the eye to make sure they understood.

"Call me when you need me." He added as he walked out. "Darlene will be starting work with you guys today. Dobey's orders."

"What!" Two eyes fastened on the "Nurse" who had sat down on the corner of the cot.

"Still hungry? There's coffee if you're not." Darlene Pritchard smiled a knowing smile at the two who had survived so much. She just hoped each man would stick with the therapy long enough to help them recover the ability to form a lasting relationship with a woman.

* * *

Starsky was driving past the health food store wondering once again what his partner saw in fasting and barley grass when there were burritos and burgers available in this world. He took a sip of the last of his cola and pulled into the parking lot to wait for his partner to finish up inside. It had been three months since the Julie incident. Dobey had allowed them to finally hit the streets again, but they had to agree to continue with the meetings with Darlene.

Starsky didn't mind so much. Once he stopped thinking of her as a counselor and thought of her more as a garbage sorter it got easier. Sometimes he and Hutch got to talking about what was said, but rarely did it go deep. Darlene had told him early on that the better sessions would be the ones that he got the angriest, and warned him that is when the most healing took effect. He puzzled over that one for a while, but dropped it as things returned to normal.

He was thrumming his fingers on the wheel humming a tuneless tune when Hutch slammed out of the building and into the car.

"Let's go." He growled.

"What's up?" Starsk asked, firing up the Torino.

"She's got some nerve. You know, I can't believe Dr. Anthony even referred me to her. I can't believe she is even a doctor." Hutch stared out the window, fuming. "I'm so angry I could spit nails."

Starsky drove, not quite knowing what to say. Sometimes silence was the best option.

"She had the audacity, the shear audacity to imply that I was afraid of women! Me!"

Starsky leaned over to take the mike and called in to headquarters, reporting off for the rest of the day.

"What did you do that for?" Hutch asked furiously.

"She's right."

"Ah, Starsk. Not you too!"

"No think about it," Starsky interrupted. "You have every right to be angry."

"_Angry_!" Hutch's face took on a crimson shade. "I am not _angry_."

"You just said you were!"

"I DID NOT!"

"Right!"

"And I'm not afraid either!"

"Bullshit!"

"Pull over!"

"In a minute."

"Right now!"

Starsky made his way across two lanes of surprised and irate drivers to turn left and then drove another 500 feet to pull off near the beach. Hutch got out not bothering to shut the door and began to walk. His pace picked up speed as he tried to outrun the demons that swarmed through his senses and threatened to overwhelm him. And then he ran. He ran until his lungs began to burn with the chill of the ocean air. Hutch realized he could never run far enough or fast enough to escape the reality of what he had to face.

He turned around and slowly began to walk back the way he had come, willing his breath to return to normal, wondering if his life ever would.

About an hour later he wandered up to where he had bolted out of the Torino. He was not surprised to find Starsky calmly tossing stones into the waves.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself."

Hutch bent down and caught up his own handful of stones. "I'm afraid, Starsk. I've never been so afraid in my life."

Starsky turned knowing eyes on his friend and partner. "You're not alone you know."

There was so much he had to face. He was working through layers of anger, fear, disappointment and confusion about himself and his relationships. Some were his fault, some were not. It would take time, Darlene said, but he was one of the lucky ones. He had a support system to fall back on to help him work through some of these issues. He understood that now.

Hutch looked back at his friend and replied, "I know. That's how I survive."

"Me too."


End file.
